Floating in the Clouds
by NotEnoughHeroes
Summary: ANIME SEASON 3 SPOILERS: Deku and Uraraka have always had that unspoken thing, those little cute moments in between bouts of life-and-death action where they extended beyond simply friends and into something more. Floating in the Clouds is a series of short arcs connected by a singular theme: love, and the battlefield, intertwined. Deku x Uraraka, Young Recovery Girl, and more.
1. Uraraka in the Clouds

Deku lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His right arm gently ached, a ghostly reminder of recent close calls, and his brain was wracked with the sight of Tsu's tears. He'd made a friend- a good friend- cry. And as he lay there, eyes wide open in the late-night darkness, he couldn't see how he could have done things better.

He squeezed his sheets in frustration. Their entire class would have been expelled, every one of them, because he acted to save Kacchan. But he'd been there in the battle. He'd seen All-Might facing All-For-One head-on, and if he hadn't acted, who knows if the battle would have turned out how it did.

Likely, Kacchan would still be captive, or worse: All-Might could have died.

But even still, he'd risked all of his classmates, and he'd disregarded their advice. Tsu had been brave to voice her objections, and he'd discarded them because _he'd known better._

Deku sat up, deciding that he couldn't sleep, no matter how tired he was. His new dorm room was admittedly embarrassing, but it was _him_ all the way. He stared up at the statues and posters of All-Might, illuminated by the late-night moon filtering through the window.

 _What would the Symbol of Peace have done?_

Could he even live up to that title? How could he when he so recklessly endangered his friends' futures and careers? Not only the likes of Kirishima, Todoroki, Iida, and Yaoyorozu, but also Kaminari, Tsu, Mineta, and Uraraka.

Uraraka…

Deku stood and dressed into simple workout pants and a t-shirt. He needed to work off steam somehow. Of all the people he wanted to disappoint least, it was Uraraka. She'd been incredibly perceptive with the situation regarding Tsu. She'd acted as mediator in the whole mess, letting their friend act in a safe situation to express herself.

She'd been the real hero this night, and Deku felt like the villain.

He opened the door to his room and went out into the hall. Even at night, the lights were still on, though everyone had gone to sleep. He took the elevator down to the ground floor and went out through the lobby into the front walkway.

He didn't go far onto the grass, just enough that he wouldn't rattle the windows with his practice, and took up a battle stance. He let One-For-All course through him, five percent, and began to practice.

With Full Cowling, his punches sent bursts of wind across the lawn, his kicks rustling the bushes and echoing off the building's brick walls and glass windows. He let his frustration burn into his moves, as his body flowed with the power gifted to him by the world's greatest hero.

 _What_ would _All-Might have done?_

Was there anything Deku could have done differently? He ran through each scenario as he trained, focusing on unknowns and trying to solve them. Aizawa-sensei had said to go through proper channels next time. What did that even mean? What could Deku have done differently?

Each possibility led him to a dead end, with Kacchan still captured and All-Might dead. He'd done the right thing, hadn't he? Hadn't he?!

He paused in his training, sweat streaming across his body, through his shirt and in his hair. He doubled over, breathing hard.

"You never do stop training, do you?" said a familiar voice.

It was Uraraka. She leaned against the light pole just beside the stairs leading into the dorm. She had shadows under her eyes, but she had a small grin on her face.

Deku froze. How long had she been watching him? Why was she here? What was he supposed to do? Girl. Girl. Girl.

Not just any girl, though.

Uraraka…

"Well, don't stop, silly," she laughed, "Keep going."

"Um…" said Deku, throat dry, "I- well- you know, it's hard with you watching. It's- AND DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY- it's distracting."

Her face turned a little red. She wore her black tank top and striped blue workout pants. She cast a look to the side.

"So, why are you out here?" she said after a moment's pause.

Deku straightened up and let his face furrow. His nerves were gone, replaced with conflicted resolve. He must have been at it for half an hour, and he still hadn't come to a conclusion.

He gazed up at the moon- it was full tonight. He couldn't bring himself to look at Uraraka, not for anything she did, but because he was still ashamed of the schism he'd formed in their class.

"I wish I'd listened to Tsu," he finally said, "But I can't see a path where I could have changed anything. I want things to go back to normal, and I know that they will as we work toward becoming heroes."

He clenched his fist, the jagged scars gleaming in the spirited moonlight. "But in an attempt to be a hero, to save my friend, I became a villain."

Uraraka walked close to him, putting her hands on her hips. "You did _not_ become a villain, Deku."

She was suddenly so close to him, and it made him freeze again. She had a small pout on her face and looked up at him with big, brown, earnest eyes.

With a swallow, Deku looked down at his fist once more. That fist had saved Kacchan, and made Tsu cry. "You wouldn't be saying that," he said, "If I'd actually gotten you all expelled."

"But you _didn't_ get us expelled."

"But I could have. And it broke our class's trust in one another."

She took his hand, and his heart skipped in his chest. He almost went One-For-All on instinct, like a fight-or-flight on steroids. _She was touching his hand._

"It doesn't make you a villain," she said, "You were trying to save Bakugo."

" _If you're saying that you'll break the rules, those acts are the same as those of villains."_ Tsu's words ringed in Deku's head, from back at the hospital. She'd said them to convince him to not break the rules, and she'd been right.

"How's the saying go?" whispered Deku, "Every villain is a hero in their own eyes?"

"You are _not_ a villain," said Uraraka adamantly, "You are a human who was trying to save his friend. We all wish you'd done things differently; I wish you'd listened to Tsu, and that Bakugo had come back safe another way. But you are _not_ a villain, even if you _had_ gotten us all expelled."

Deku felt her hand on his. It was warm, and so soft. He still remembered the first time she'd ever touched him. He'd been about to fall over, he'd been so nervous.

And the second time she'd touched him, it had been a slap. It'd saved his life, but it had still been a slap.

She'd always been there to keep him afloat, whether in the fight with Bakugo or at the U.A. sports tournament. And here she was, keeping him afloat still. He'd never been this close to a girl before. He'd never held a girl's hand. He'd never-

"Deku," she said softly, "You don't need to know what you could have done better. You just have to keep pushing forward. Be like All-Might. Go Beyond, Plus Ultra, right?"

Deku swallowed. She'd seen his room. She knew how much of a nerd he was. But even still, she seemed to find his obsession endearing.

"Th-thank you, Uraraka," he said quietly.

For a long, wondrous moment, she kept holding his hand, then pulled let it fall away. It felt like failing a test. He wanted to keep holding her hand. He _needed_ to. She was wonderful. She kept him afloat. She let him fly!

As she turned to leave back into the apartment, he reached out and held her shoulder. Gently, not in a controlling way, but it was his own way of saying not to go yet.

"Uraraka," he said, thinking quickly, "Can you float the both of us?"

She turned to him, eyebrows raised and face red. "Yes, why?"

He swallowed. This was crazy. He was crazy. But if nothing else, he _needed_ to show her _something_. He couldn't just let her walk away. Not with all this burning in his chest. He wanted to tell her so many things, and he couldn't get out the words right. So, he would show her what she meant to him, with their quirks.

"I have an idea," he said, "Will you trust me?"

"Of course!" she said, "But are you sure it's okay? We should probably get to bed."

"I-I know," Deku stammered, "But…. I… Uraraka, I wanted to show you…"

He had an idea swirling through his head. A plan. Something he knew they could do together, and only they could do together.

"Okay," she said, touching his hand again to make him weightless, and then forming her little hand signal to make herself float.

Deku swallowed hard. "Um, uh, hold on tight," he said and opened his arms a bit.

 _What am I doing?_ He screamed in his head. _There is no way she's-_

She wrapped her arms around him tight, and he knew he had to act. This was it. This was his chance. With a burst of energy, he channeled full cowling throughout his entire body, and then he _launched_ into the air at fifteen percent.

They catapulted together up into the sky, past the roof of the dorm and up toward the moon itself. The force of his jump carried them, with weightlessness up higher than he'd ever been, with Uraraka holding on tight the whole way.

"Okay!" he called out, "Release us both!"

And she did. They continued sailing upward, carried by their momentum, up over the whole of the lights of the city, above the mountains, and the skyscrapers and treetops, where nothing else could touch them.

As they came to a stop, he called out, "And make us weightless again!"

And like that, he and Uraraka were floating amidst the clouds, carried by her quirk far above the worries and troubles that had pressed down on them.

"Wow!" Uraraka laughed, separating herself from Deku, "It's so beautiful!"

The stars above them twinkled and danced like a thousand fireflies, and the moon glowed brilliantly, reflected in her eyes.

At first, Deku's stomach lurched, thinking he might fall if they separated. But then his brain took over and he laughed alongside Uraraka. It _was_ beautiful, the city lights below, matching the countless stars above.

And more than that, Uraraka was beautiful. The most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

Suddenly, he longed to hold her once more, and not for safety either.

"Deku!" she said, turning and smiling at him from ear to hear, "This is incredible." Her hair fluttered in the night wind, her rosy cheeks grinning beneath her eyes.

"I guess we work well together," said Deku shyly. He still couldn't bring himself to say anything in his chest, but he could at least show her some of what he felt. Some of how she made him feel.

Her smile turned into a small, solemn grin, as if she just now realized something. Then she leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek.

"I guess we really do go well together," she said.

Deku touched his cheek. Her lips had just been there, on his skin. He felt a fire rage inside him like he'd never felt before, a young desire for her that he'd never known he could have. She was wonderful. She was amazing. She was everything.

She held out her hand, and he took it. He looked down at their hands entwined, his scarred and mangled one with her beautiful and soft one. Somehow, they seemed to fit one another perfectly.

He swallowed and fought down the terrified anxiety that fought its way up his throat.

 _Does she_ like _me? She has to, right? That's what happens when a girl likes you, she kisses you, right? I've never had a girl like me, what do I do?_

He would never get used to this.

Uraraka was red-faced too, but she'd initiated all this. Was she embarrassed? What would she say later?

Deku didn't know, but he would treasure this moment forever.

With a yawn, Uraraka pulled out her phone. "It's really late," she said, "We should get to sleep, or Aizawa-sensei will kill us."

Deku nodded absently.

"Here," she said, "Grab hold of me, this time, and I'll take us back down."

Deku embraced her, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he didn't dare. What if she rejected him? What if that was too fast, too much? No, a single kiss on the cheek would be enough. And hopefully, hopefully, he'd someday repeat the feat.

They descended through the sky that way, with Uraraka controlling their fall, until, at last, they reached the lawn of the dorm once more. The lights in the hall were still on, and nobody had risen during the night.

Separating himself from Uraraka, Deku kept holding her hand for a second longer. "Ochaco," he said, "Thanks for always lifting me up."

She smiled the most sincere smile ever at him. "Let's reach for the stars, Deku. Together. Plus Ultra."


	2. Honor the Hero

Honor the Hero

 **Author's Note: I admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the positive response to my one-shot last week. I wrote it on a whim and didn't expect much of a reaction. My hope is that readers enjoy this submission as well. If you enjoy it, please leave a review, favorite, and follow. I'm afraid I don't have very much time in my week for this, so as with last week, it's unedited. Please forgive me that and enjoy.**

Ochaco wore a pleated white blouse, a black suit coat and skirt, and way too high heels. She fidgeted with them around her feet. Somehow, they cut through her tights and into her skin. How? Like she knew. Her ankles still ached from walking around on them across Tokyo.

"We're all here tonight for one reason," announced the city mayor. He was a portly, balding man with a graying goatee. "Tonight we honor the world's greatest hero, All-Might."

They were in a large ballroom in downtown Tokyo, sitting at one of those round tables you only ever saw at these types of things, with the cream colored sheets and neatly arranged plates and cutlery. The ceiling was enormous, with giant, golden chandeliers hanging extravagantly over them.

Ochaco's and the rest of class 1-A's table was at the back. She squinted as All-Might, now an emaciated and frail-looking old man, stood from his chair behind the podium and bowed.

It was an event put on by the city at the behest of the mayor himself. With not only his true identity, but also his retirement, revealed, All-Might had been asked to attend one last hoorah in his honor, to thank him for all the lives he'd saved.

Word was that the Symbol of Peace had specifically requested that his students be in attendance.

Which meant that Ochaco had to don formal-wear, something she was _not_ used to. She was the daughter of construction workers, not bureaucrats. Yaoyorozu, thank goodness, had navigated this scene throughout her life, and she'd been a life-saver when she volunteered to take the other girls shopping for clothes.

Ochaco wasn't sure who'd helped the boys out, but whoever did deserved a medal. All the boys were dressed up in fitted dark suits. Some took stylistic liberties, like Kaminari and Bakugo, who forewent neckties. Some of them wore striped button-up shirts, while Kirishima had his necktie worn loosely about his neck.

Deku, though… Deku seemed born to breathe in his suit. He had a type of gentle, assured power about him. It helped that he seemed lost in thought. A man could look good with a smile, but a _real man_ looked sexy with that extra gravitas.

Ochaco felt her face turn up the heat as she realized that she was staring at Deku… again.

It'd been less than a week since their midnight rendezvous, and they hadn't had opportunity to discuss exactly what had happened, what with training for certification and this particular event coming up. Truth be told, Ochaco had avoided discussing that moment like the plague.

Her face lit up like the rising sun as she remembered- remembered- remembered… She gulped. She'd _kissed_ Deku. Only on the cheek, but _still_. She'd started doubting herself the _moment_ she'd gotten back to her dorm room. What if she'd misunderstood his intentions? What if she'd misread the whole situation? Had she overstepped her bounds?

Taking a gulp of water to calm her nerves, she stared forward at the podium once more. The mayor had finished speaking, and he'd opened the stand for All-Might himself to speak.

He approached the mic, and looked out at the whole of the audience. "This is my first time addressing the public as a retired hero," he said, his voice a rumbly bass that carried deep into the wooden walls and glass chandeliers. "I don't have much to say, except this: everyone here can be a hero. All it takes is the guts, determination, and fortitude to always do what is right. That is, perhaps, the last lesson I learned in my career. It is bittersweet to pass on this torch, but I know that I leave this city, this country, and this world in capable hands. I look forward to our next generation, who will carve a path so bright it will make all paths before it look dim. When I see my students, who are in attendance, I am brought to remember words I have spoken many times. They are words which have defined my career, and have given me the strength to carry on in the bleakest of times. They are the words I leave with you now.

"Go beyond. Plus Ultra."

Ochaco looked quickly about her table, to see how others reacted, even as All-Might left the podium. And as she did, she noticed something: Deku was missing. His chair was empty, and neither Todoroki on his left nor Iida on his right seemed to have noticed.

She hoped he was okay.

He was probably in the bathroom.

But what if he wasn't?

 _Then he probably wouldn't want me going to him and meddling with whatever was on his mind. Though he did seem to be thinking really hard about something earlier._

 _What would Deku do?_

Ochaco stood, quietly told Tsu she was going to the bathroom, and left into the lobby of the building they were in. She didn't know what the building was called- only that it was _huge_ , and that the floor was made of marble and the ceiling was really really tall. She saw Deku just outside the doors of the building, a near-silhouette illuminated by dampened white building lights.

With a swallow, she walked through the rotating door- having to push awkwardly on it to move properly- and out into the late-night summer heat. She slowly walked toward him without a word and sat next to him on the bench. They were in the main courtyard of the building, a wide semi-circle with a white stone brick flooring and a circular guard rail separating the main area from parking.

Deku didn't look up at her. Perhaps he hadn't noticed that she'd sat next to him. He was certainly lost in thought- no, not lost in thought. He looked like he was really stressed. He was shaking in his seat, face buried in his hands, his fingers gripping through his hair at his scalp.

Tentatively, slowly, Ochaco reached out and placed a hand on Deku's shoulder.

He stopped shaking and lifted up his head to see her. Ochaco saw the deepest hints of a blush cross his cheeks as he rubbed his eyes in his sleeve and sat up straight. "Uraraka," he said, "What are you doing here?"

She smiled at him. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Oh," he said, looking down at his hands, "I just needed some air."

"You wanna talk about it?"

He looked up at her, and she saw in his eyes, his wondrous green eyes, the same fierce respect and strength she'd always seen, mingled with that genuine sense of kindness, and- she never admitted it- something else. Something deeper in those emerald eyes of his.

"I… I…" he clenched his fist, then looked up into the sky. There wasn't a single star out. Not in this Tokyo jungle. "I just suddenly felt this huge weight of responsibility, you know? When All-Might spoke, it…"

"It's huge, right?" said Ochaco.

"Yeah," he said, "It's enormous. Like I have the whole world sitting on my shoulders."

Ochaco nodded. "I know you can do it, Deku. We all will. We'll make All-Might proud."

For a moment, Deku seemed to consider her words, and then consideration melted into a smile, and that smile took Ochaco's breath right out of her. Whatever she'd thought about a sexy, brooding man in a suit had nothing on this.

Deku had a beautiful smile.

She felt herself turn red at the thought.

Gathering her bearings, she focused on the issue at hand. "So," she said, "You want to go back inside?"

Deku seemed to consider that as well, for a moment, before he shook his head. "I can't. It's… It's too much right now."

"Then," said Ochaco, grabbing his forearm and pulling him off the bench, "We are in _Tokyo._ Not often we have a chance for a night on the town. Let's go somewhere!"

"Where?" Deku said, blushing.

"Anywhere."

"Now?"

Ochaco grinned from ear to ear. "Come on. We'll figure it out as we go," and she dragged him right out of the courtyard and onto a street in western Shinjuku.

They didn't walk too quickly- there was no need. Plenty of things to see in Tokyo. Cars zoomed by, tail-lights trailing like tracers behind them. There was the occasional puddle on the sidewalk from the day's earlier rain, as they passed between large corporate buildings and skyscrapers.

"Oooh, look at that," exclaimed Ochaco, pointing out big flashing lights on one of the buildings, "Isn't that so pretty!"

"Wow!" said Deku, "Oh, and look at that!"

Ochaco let her and Deku wander aimlessly, as she did her best to keep his mind off whatever had been bothering him at the ceremony. She wanted him to enjoy himself.

And so they did just that. Up and down the streets of Shinjuku, intentionally avoiding the train station, down streets with gargantuan buildings on each side and into beautiful parks planted right into the center of the city.

As they walked, Ochaco felt conversation come more naturally to her. They began to talk not just about the things they saw, but about life in the dorms in general, and UA, and.. And…

Then they finally came to _the_ topic. About their night under the stars and moon, up above all of the city, and above all their worries.

By this point, they'd been walking for an hour or two. Or three. Ochaco had lost track of time. They'd strayed out of Shinjuku and into Minato, wandering along the streets until they came to the water's edge. They finally found a bench and sat down, Ochaco almost sagging into it.

Her feet hurt so, so much. Heels were literally hell, and she would never walk around Tokyo in them again.

"So, about that night," Deku finally said, as they gazed out onto the water, which illuminated with the backdrop of the cityscape and rainbow bridge which towered over it.

"Yeah," said Ochaco. About that night. Where did she even start? Could she? She felt her face heat up again, turning red. Hopefully, he wouldn't see it in the dark.

"I was thinking about what you said that night."

 _Oh crap. What did I say that night?_

Deku stuck out his fist at the water, clenching it. From Ochaco's view, it looked like he could hold the whole city in his hand. His face was so solemn, so thoughtful. The way his messy hair fell around his eyes gave him that really cute, unkept look, which contrasted so wonderfully with his fitted dark suit. It was like the best of both worlds, which honestly described Deku aptly. He was so happy, and kind, and considerate, and he was also deeply serious and passionate about those things that mattered to him.

"I've been thinking," said Deku again, "About ways our quirks work together." And just like that, he whipped out a notebook, as if by magic. "I've been giving your powers a lot of thought, Uraraka, and how they can complement mine. For one," he opened up the notebook to the middle, where he had a page titled _Deku and Uravity_ , "When we're together, we can literally fly. You provide the weightlessness, and I provide the propulsion. Together, we could seriously clear miles in only a few seconds. Also, I was thinking about back to your fight with Bakugo at the sports festival, and back to our first day of hero training, when we took on him and Iida. We can totally use my quirk to break stuff, and then you can make the pieces weightless and to use as weapons. And then I was thinking about…"

He continued going, almost breathlessly, and Ochaco couldn't stop and smile at him. He really was amazing.

Gently, almost without thinking, she put her hand against his cheek and turned his face toward hers. He immediately stopped talking. His pupils dilated, and his face turned very, very red.

Was this what she wanted?

There was only one way to find out. Breathlessly, her heart pounding in her chest, and before she could stop herself, Ochaco leaned in close and-

"HELP!" someone screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP!"

Ochaco froze, and then pulled away from Deku, casting her eyes about. "Where is that coming from?" she said, her heart still hammering away.

Deku stood, looking off in the distance, then pointed, over at the Rainbow Bridge, illuminated like a beacon. Ochaco squinted through the night, and there saw a silhouette against the yellow light of the bridge's walkway, a man dangling from a metal pole.

"HELP!" he cried out again, his voice carried over the water.

Ochaco turned to Deku and saw him already formulating a plan. The man was too far away, and there didn't seem to be anyone helping him. It would take too long to reach him before he fell, even with his new power.

Those were all things that just flashed through Ochaco's mind, and she couldn't know what other ideas Deku had accounted for, but the fact that he hadn't moved told her he hadn't formulated a plan to save the man yet.

Was there nobody with a quirk nearby to help him?

The man slipped, screaming, but managed to grab onto something at the last second. "HELP!" he screamed again.

Ochaco looked to him, and then to Deku, her head clicking with ideas, before she finally came up with something.

"Throw me," she said quietly.

"What?" said Deku, breaking his train of thought.

Then the man fell.

It was like watching one of those American horror films in slow motion, where the side character slowly plummets to his death while others looked on helplessly.

"Throw me!" Ochaco shouted, "At full power!"

They didn't have time to think. Didn't have time to reconsider. She made herself weightless, and then looked into Deku's eyes. And there she saw that he understood.

He grabbed her by the waist, and with no time to waste, threw her with all his power. She flew through the air, wind whipping in her eyes as she sailed, catapulting toward the screaming man.

Right as she was about to pass the man, she reached out and _slapped him_.

It was enough. The man stopped falling, and Ochaco sailed right past him. And kept going. Upward, and outward, away from the bridge, away from the water.

 _Oh no. I didn't think this through._

How high had she been when she hit the man? Had it been low enough that she could drop him? She couldn't know. What if there was a boat passing underneath? She couldn't just let him go without seeing where he was going.

But she was still flying. With Deku's momentum, she was carried, hair whipping in her face, straight toward the flat face of a building. Only a few seconds, and she'd splat right into the side. She didn't have super strength, she couldn't handle an impact like that.

What could she do? What could she do?! Think, think!

A flash of green, one she recognized, raced up the side of the building in front of her.

 _No way._

It was just like the very first day she met him. A explosive spark of energy, leaping into danger, performing utterly impossible feats, to save her.

Midoriya Izuku was suddenly _there_ , on the side of the building. He _caught her_ , wrapping his arms around her and bracing her against the impact of the building. They slammed into the concrete together, and Ochaco heard him grunt under the stress.

For a second, Ochaco was worried they would fall. But as she buried her face in Deku's chest, she felt him reach out with one arm for a handhold and stabilize them.

Safe at last, Ochaco breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled her head back from Deku's chest, and grinned at him.

"Good catch, Deku," she said.

"Th-thanks," he smiled.

Then she kissed him.

It was like the world around her exploded into a cacophony of bliss and happiness. The moment her lips touched his, she felt herself sink into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to his level.

Then, only a moment later, she pulled away, breathless.

He was completely red. That made her laugh. She giggled like the overly delighted schoolgirl she was.

"I think," she said quietly, "I might really like you, Deku?"

He gulped. "R-really?"

Ochaco laughed again and hugged him.

Taking a deep breath, she faced out to the Rainbow Bridge, where she'd just made her save. The man was still there, dangling only a dozen feet or so over the water. Already, a police boat was on its way to him, light illuminating the man.

With that, Ochaco finally released her levitation and let the man fall harmlessly into the water.

At that same time, she sank deeper into Deku's grasp. She looked up into his eyes, illuminated by the lights of the city. He hadn't taken his gaze from her yet.

"Come on, Deku," she said, "Let's get back to UA. I'm sure the others are wondering where we went off to."

Deku shook his head, then nodded. "That's a good idea."

Even in a dusty mini-crater, formed by the impact of two colliding teens, Deku still looked damn good in his suit. One could say he even looked Plus Ultra.

As they descended, Ochaco realized that, even if Deku couldn't see it, she could. She could see why All-Might was ready to pass the torch on. It's because Deku was amazing. Simply… amazing.


	3. The Interrogation

The Interrogation

 **Author's Note: Sorry that this took a bit longer than the previous update. I'm trying to be consistent and have these updated on the weekends, but life is crazy. It's worth noting that I don't read the manga. So when the most recent episode came out, I was jumping in my seat as Uraraka looked out the window. Know that that wasn't planned. Also, shout out to MSPRIGGS, Sentinel07, Chopper911, KahunaLagoona, and some random person on the internet for reviewing my fic. The words of encouragement are much appreciated. As per the standard, I'm uploading this unedited. Please forgive me that, and if you enjoy it, please Favorite, Follow, and Review. Doing those three things lets me know that I should keep going with this. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this next upload.**

The night was hot but quiet. Deku stood on the lawn of the dorm once more, practicing his move set, perfecting his new skills, grasping at an elevated level of strength. Unlike his first foray on the grass, he moved methodically, confidently. No hanging weight on his chest, no residual guilt.

It was just him, and movement.

He took a deep breath in, holding it for a second, then exhaled as he leveled another kick. He shifted on his front foot, planting it sideways, and rotated on his hips around it, swinging his back leg forward in a powerful strike. He carried the movement through, leg still raised in the air, and lowered it back down into stance.

He inhaled again, then repeated the process, but this time shifting on his back leg to throw a short inside kick. He retained his composure, letting the movements go naturally.

 _I'll need to get a trainer,_ he decided as he went back to neutral stance, _Or at least a sparring partner._

He swallowed at the thought, frowning. Who could he even spar with? Who could he strike at with One-For-All without ripping them to shreds? Perhaps Kirishima? Maybe Iida, if Iida wore his armor?

He'd have to think about it. But he wasn't a natural martial artist. His skill in battle had always come from the raw energy of his quirk and from sheer desperation. But if he was going to be throwing kicks, he'd have to be more careful, right? A good kick could end a fight faster than the strongest punch, but if misplaced, it could land him in trouble.

 _What if I do to my legs what I've done to my arms?_

That was the worst-case scenario. He'd just have to keep training and growing stronger until that wasn't even an issue.

So that's what he did. He kept training, working his legs, checking his notes, and giving everything his all.

An hour passed before, with a sigh of relief, he decided to retire for the night. He grabbed his book and ambled back through the front door of the dorm. He was going to sleep like a babe tonight.

As he dinged the elevator, he realized that there was something off. The building was strangely quiet. Usually, he could hear Kaminari or Mineta up to some sort of mischief. And Iida censuring them.

But no. Not a sound. Not a peep.

If he didn't know any better, he'd've thought there'd been a villain attack. But this was U.A. Villains couldn't attack here.

Except for, you know, the last time they did that.

Deku felt the hair on his arms stand up. He was just overthinking things. Chances are, everyone had been exhausted from training, so they'd all gone to bed. So, he was going to go to bed, and he would wake up tomorrow to find everything normal.

He left the elevator and made a beeline for his room.

Just going to sneak inside, go to sleep, and pretend everything was okay.

Things were _not_ okay.

He opened the door to his unlit room, and didn't notice until it was too late that there was somebody in there.

"Get him!" someone shouted.

A quick hiss and click, and something shot out of the darkness, white tape like Sero's, wrapping around him, while Mineta's dark hair balls exploded in a fury from the shadows, attaching to his arms and legs, binding them together beneath Sero's tape.

Deku struggled against his bindings and fell over. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't been able to focus enough to activate One-For-All.

Somebody turned on the lights, and he saw his assailants: Mineta, Sero, Tokoyami, and Kaminari.

"Well, well, well," said Mineta, "Looks like the traitor has finally shown up."

 _Traitor?! They think I'm the U.A. traitor?!_

"W-w-wait!" stuttered Deku, "I'm not the traitor, guys! I swear! I-I s-swear."

"We shall see," hissed Mineta, his eyes glowing with anger. "Do it."

With a nod, Tokoyami reached out with Dark Shadow, and the spirit covered Deku's eyes.

#

Dark Shadow removed itself not much later, and Deku found himself beneath a bright light, bound to a chair by a mixture of Sero's tape and Mineta's hair balls.

"Midoriya!" said a voice Deku recognized, deep and exuberant, "Is that you?"

Deku turned his head to see Iida strapped similarly in his chair. Each exhaust port in his leg engines were clogged by one of Mineta's hairballs.

Did they think Iida was the traitor too? What was going on?!

Bright lamps shone on both of them, contrasted to the complete darkness of the room around them.

"Iida, where are we?" said Deku.

"I don't know," said Iida, "They covered my eyes when they brought me here. They called me a traitor. Which is preposterous! I am a proud member of the Iida clan, an aspiring hero by all rights. I can't believe they'd even suspect me, let alone you!"

Deku struggled against his restraints, ready to turn on Full Cowling when, out of the shadow, walked the three-foot Mineta, still wearing his night pajamas.

"So," he said, eyes riddled with accusation, "Are you ready to confess?"

"Confess?! To what?!" said Iida, "This is absurd. Let us go! You are violating multiple school rules by keeping us here."

"Going to play dumb, huh?"

"Mineta, I-I don't know what you're talking about," said Deku, "I'm sure there must be a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand this!" shouted Mineta, tears in his eyes. "I've heard through the grape vine that Uraraka is in love! And it's with one of you!" He leveled a shaky finger at Deku, then waggled it back and forth between him and Iida.

 _Wait, that's what this is about?_

 _WAIT, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?!_

Deku felt himself go red as all fears of suspicion regarding his loyalty to U.A. disappeared, replaced by utter terror of them finding out about… about…

He swallowed.

"You have got to be kidding me!" decried Iida, "This is ridiculous. Just ridiculous."

"Not according to Ashido," said Mineta, "I heard her tell Kirishima that Uraraka likes someone in our class, and she was pretty sure it was one of you. So, what do you have to say in your defense?!"

"This is nonsense," said Iida, "Uraraka is just our friend, nothing more. Right, Midoriya?"

Deku nodded slowly. "R-right."

" _I think I might really like you, Deku."_

It had only been a couple days since their escapade across Tokyo. Since he had _thrown her_ _at a building_ , only to run just as fast to catch her. How he'd managed that feat was still beyond him. But together, they'd saved a man's life.

And then she'd kissed him.

They hadn't had a chance to actually sort out what had happened. They'd both been silent the whole way home, and by the time they'd gotten there, everyone had gone to sleep and the sun was only a few hours from rising. And every moment since had been one crazy event after another.

Going to get his costume upgraded had completely distracted Deku. He'd been so focused on perfecting his ultimate attack that he hadn't had time to really talk with Uraraka. Not alone, at least.

And now, word was getting out. But was that really such a bad thing? He hoped not. But what if Uraraka was ashamed of him? What if she didn't want people to know that she liked him? If she didn't want anybody to know, then he sure as hell wasn't going to spill it.

"Let us consider the following," said Mineta, pacing back and forth, just within the bounds of the heavy lamp light, "Two nights ago, at All-Might's banquet, eye-witnesses report seeing Deku leave scene. Five minutes later, Uraraka was reported to have also left the party."

Deku swallowed. So people had noticed they'd left, huh? How could he argue with that, if they brought it against him? He'd never been a good liar. Would All-Might lie about this?

" _There's plenty of fear behind that smile."_

Yes. For the greater good, All-Might had withheld the truth for years. This was no different. He could do this. He would.

"And only a minute later," continued Mineta, "Iida Tenya was seen leaving the scene as well."

 _Iida left the party too? Why?_

"So," said Mineta, "What do you have to say for yourselves?! Which of you was it? Why are you three always gone together?"

Deku looked over to Iida. What would he say? He _knew_ he hadn't been with Uraraka that night. That much was obvious.

It was only now that Deku saw Mineta's genius. Just by their reactions alone, the boy would be able to tell who was lying. Whatever reason Iida had for being out, it didn't matter, because it would be easy to see he was telling the truth.

A shadow came over Iida's countenance. "I'd left the party because I'd been moved by All-Might's words. It… it reminded me of my shame, from a time when I'd disregarded the heroic burden passed on to me, in favor of revenge. I'd stepped out to get fresh air."

So… Iida still felt shame. But more than that, like Deku, he felt the weight of All-Might's words, that burden of the torch passed on.

For that same reason, Deku had left. He'd been unable to handle that weight, that unbearable weight of carrying on the Symbol of Peace's legacy.

And Uraraka had helped lift that weight. That's simply what she did. She made things light.

Deku cast his eyes down, hair concealing his face. "Mineta, don't you get it?" he said softly, "This weight we're all carrying, bearing down on us from the day we stepped into U.A.? Can't you feel it getting heavier with every day, with every step?"

He looked straight into Mineta's eyes, crying out, "You must feel it! I know I did, just like Iida! And I'm sure Uraraka feels it too! We are all here to do our best, not just to fulfill our own dreams, but to fulfill the legacy of those who have come before! You must understand how that could drive anyone, including Uraraka, to need some air! I promise, we don't know who she likes, if anybody!"

Mineta gave him a long, hard look, before sighing. "Fine, fine, fine." He snapped his fingers.

From the shadows appeared four more figures. Tokoyami, Sero, Kaminari, and Aoyama. They all bore solemn, serious expressions.

"Let's be clear," said Mineta, "We all wish we had girlfriends. We all want girlfriends more than you do. We can't prove which one of you Uraraka likes, but-"

"Wait," said Aoyama, "I know who it is!"

"Quiet!" snapped Mineta. "If we find out that either of you are dating Uraraka, we will make your lives walking nightmares."

Deku swallowed. "E-Even Tokoyami? What are you doing here?"

The shadowman averted his gaze. "I was roped into this," he said quietly.

"I know who Uraraka likes," said Ayoama.

"Let this be a warning," said Mineta, "Know that we'll be watching you."

"I know who it is," whispered Aoyama.

"Then who is it?!" said Mineta.

"It's a secret," said Aoyama with a wink.

#

Two hours later, Mineta's balls finally became unsticky… Oh dear mercy, that sounds horrid.

Two hours later, Deku wandered sluggishly back to his dorm room. It had been an unexpectedly long night, and he was more than ready to sleep. He turned the door handle to enter his room, and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

He leaned over to pick it up. A message was scrawled on the slip in Uraraka's handwriting, saying, "Meet me just inside the U.A. entrance tomorrow after training."

Deku cast furtive glances up and down the hall. Was this some sort of trick? Were the others still trying to get him?

This _was_ in Uraraka's handwriting. So hopefully it was her note. Either way, he'd have to find out tomorrow. For now, he was so tired he could barely think.

He shut the door behind him and collapsed onto the bed. That night, he dreamt of flying in the night sky, hand-in-hand with Uraraka.

#

The next day, after an intense day of training, and after hitting the showers, Deku bid his classmates farewell and made his way over to the U.A. entrance. The sun was setting over the mountains to the west, with a sweet warm breeze gently brushing past him.

He was on that same brick pathway, the one with the statue heads of different heroes, where they'd first met. And leaning against one of those statues, he saw Uraraka, casting a glance to the side.

"H-hey," said Deku, gulping.

Uraraka looked up at him, and smiled big and wide. Deku's heart jumped. She was beautiful.

"You got my message," she said, looking a little embarrassed, "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

Deku scratched his head. "Y-yeah, I-I'm here."

"I heard about what happened last night."

"O-oh, you did?"

"You know, when I'd left that note, it'd been for a different reason entirely, but then when I heard what you went through, I thought…"

"Th-thought what?"

Her face drew up thoughtfully for a moment, before she seemed to discard it with the shake of her head. Then her smile came back.

"You wanna get a bite to eat?" she said.

 _LIKE A DATE?!_

"Um-um, s-sure," Deku said, "What did you have in m-m-mind?"

"I don't know. Let's just stop at the first place that seems good."

"G-good id-d-dea."

They left U.A. grounds and made their way into town, looking for different restaurants to try. For some reason, none of them appealed to Deku. Perhaps it was the enormous pit in his stomach.

This didn't feel like their night in Tokyo. It felt… stiff. Off. Like there was something strange in the air, and Deku couldn't shake it. Nor could he figure out what it was.

"Deku," Uraraka finally said, stopping to lean against the rail of a bridge. They gazed out at the gently passing water beneath them, the crimson sky reflected on the smooth surface, "I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" said Deku, "I don't understand."

"I just… I just…"

She looked up at him, and for the first time, he saw tears welling up in her eyes. "I just feel terrible. I _really_ like you a lot, but I must have overstepped my boundaries. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or to put you in an awkward situation."

Deku's jaw dropped and his heart sank, his face turning pale. _What did I do? Why is she crying? What do I say? Wait, overstepped her boundaries? What did she mean by that?_

With a swallow, Deku said, "Uraraka, I don't understand. Why would you be sorry for liking me?"

"Because I kissed you, and I didn't ask permission. Twice. And I never asked about how you feel, and I didn't stop to think that maybe you _didn't_ like me back."

"D-didn't like you," Deku choked, "Uraraka! I l-love y-"

He stopped short as his tongue seemed to swell in his throat and strangle any words that could have come out. He was so nervous. He _still_ couldn't talk to her right, even when she was talking so openly with him.

 _What is wrong with me?!_

He took her hand in his. "U-Uraraka," he said quietly, "U-Uraraka, I-I th-think you m-might be m-mistak-k-ken."

She wiped her eyes, trying to calm herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cry."

"No, no!" Deku said, "I'm sorry I made you cry."

"It's not your fault," said Uraraka, finally shaking away the last of her tears, "I promise it won't happen again." She swallowed. "That's why I wanted to see you today. To tell you I'm sorry."

Deku shook his head. "Ochaco," he said, "It's not like that. I just- I just-"

With no other options, he did the only thing that could possibly show exactly what was in his chest.

With his remaining hand, he touched her cheek, and then he pulled her in and kissed her on the lips.

He held it there for a second, trying desperately to ignore the rampant embarrassment raging through him. It was to kiss her, rather than be kissed. When she kissed him, it was ecstasy, it was pure bliss. But when he kissed her, it was all nerves. Nerves and terror.

 _She kissed him back_ , and his world lit aflame. Her lips pressed against his, so soft and sweet. Her scent filled him, intoxicating. She smelled just like apples. And just a single moment of this was eternity, true and utter happiness.

Finally, he pulled away and looked out on the water.

For a long moment, there was silence.

"I-I don't understand," said Uraraka finally, "I heard you completely denied being with me in Tokyo. I assumed you… you… were ashamed of it."

Deku shook his head, breathless. Finally, at long, long last, he felt like he could get some words off his chest. "I'd heard that you'd denied it, so I did too."

"Oh…" said Uraraka, "Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry."

Deku smiled. "Really, it's okay. Who cares what they think, right?"

For a second, he paused on that thought. Obviously, they both cared. But that was a problem for another day.

Uraraka rested her head on his shoulder, gazing on the water with him. "So what now?" she said.

"I don't know," said Deku, "We could start with dinner."

"Dinner sounds good," said Uraraka, "How does Okonomiyaki sound?"

"Like a good idea," said Deku with a smile, "Let's go."

"Let's."

Deku reached out and took Uraraka's hand, entwining her fingers with his.

"Oh, and Ochaco," he said.

"Yeah?"

"I think I might really like you too."


	4. Deku's First Date

Deku's First Date

 **Author's Note: Phew. This was a really long chapter. Sorry it took so long to upload. I considered splitting it in half, but I wanted to provide a proper beginning, middle, and end. Admittedly, this chapter is quite different from other chapters I've written, but the heart of it is there. Hopefully, you all enjoy it. Shout-outs to a long list of awesome people who have reviewed my fic since my last upload, including: MSPRIGSS and Chopper911. Thanks for coming back for more. Also, thanks to sergeant thunderclap141, WingsZero, SirJanStark, Renlu, lunar diver, EmeraldGuardian7, moonstar31548, and billythekid256. I wish I could respond individually to all your awesome reviews, but I'm afraid I'd be here all night. Know that I read and cherish them all. Anyway, without further ado, I present to you Deku's first date. As per usual, this chapter is unedited, for better or worse. To see a bit of my thought processes behind this fic, see my note at the end of the chapter.**

There were only a few stars out tonight, but those that made it through must have been the brightest. Deku probably could have counted them, but that would have stolen their grandeur. Similarly, he could count the number of times Uraraka made his heart flutter, but that would demean the joy that came with them.

And she did bring him joy.

They walked together, hand in hand, in the late summer evening. Her hand was so soft in his, but he felt an underlying strength beneath that softness. They were the hands of a fighter, for sure.

Deku and Uraraka didn't talk much- neither of them were very big talkers. But that sweet, simple presence was more than enough. She made him smile just by being there.

 _What if she thinks the silence is awkward?_

And just like that, the silence became awkward.

"So, um, Uraraka," he said as they meandered along a quiet back-neighborhood street. They'd finished eating a while ago, and now they made their way back toward U.A., though with plenty of stops along the way.

"Yeah, Deku?" said Uraraka.

"U-um, thanks," said Deku.

"Huh..." she said, smiling at the ground, "I know what you mean, but I should be the one saying that."

She squeezed his hand, and he felt himself go weightless. He stumbled in mid-air, but she caught him. She gently guided him through the air in front of her and held him by his sides up above her.

"There," she said, "Now I'm lifting _you_ up. I feel like I'm always leaning on you, Deku, like you always manage to help me get higher and higher."

"Funny, but I think I should be the one saying _that._ "

Uraraka laughed, her smile reaching her eyes. She reached up and pulled Deku in, embracing him. She was so warm, her cheek soft on his. Deku didn't even realize she'd released him, because she made him feel weightless.

She pulled away, balancing on one foot, and then the other with her hands clasped behind her back. She had a small smile on her face, and those few stars above glistened in her eyes.

Deku swallowed. He couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, but those little movements were so… how did he say it? "Adorable" didn't cut it. But neither did "beautiful." She was surreal. In the starlight, illuminated by the quiet streetlights, she was unlike anything or anyone he'd ever met.

"Deku?" said Uraraka, looking into his eyes. Hers were so deep, so thoughtful. Deep and rich like the most succulent book, just utterly entrancing.

"Deku?" she said again, eyebrows furrowing.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh," Deku stuttered, "Sorry." He cast his eyes to the side, his face burning red. "Sorry, I'm still not used to this yet."

"Oh," said Uraraka, turning red herself and looking away, "Yeah, me neither. It's easy when I'm not thinking about it, but the moment I do…"

"It's like talking with saltines in your mouth," said Deku.

Uraraka snorted a laugh. "What kind of comparison is that?"

"I don't know, it's just what I thought of in the moment!"

Uraraka's snort turned into a full laugh. After the laugh subsided, she finally let out a breath and said, "We should probably get going. I'm sure the boys will be suspicious of us."

Deku's stomach sank. Mineta. There was no way he could explain this away.

But why should he? Why should he be ashamed of… of… what was this, exactly?

"Uraraka," he said quietly, "What exactly _is_ this?"

"No idea!" she said enthusiastically. "It is what it is, I think." She pressed her finger to her cheek, thinking. "Do you want to define it?"

"N-n-n-no!" Deku stammered vehemently, before adding, "Unless you want to. I mean, it's up to you."

Uraraka gave that some thought. "I think, right now, it's just a beginning. A beginning of what? I don't know. But…" she turned red as she seemed to realize what she was saying, "I really want to see what it is."

Deku beamed. Not at her in particular, just in general. Beamed at the stars.

She took his hand, saying, "Let's go for now. Whatever comes, comes."

Nodding, Deku went along with her. They made their way back to the U.A. entrance, and from there they went back to the dorms.

"Uraraka," said Deku as they neared the building, "Could we avoid the front door?"

"Huh?" she said, "Why?"

"Well," he said, putting his index fingers together nervously, "The thing is, Mineta and the others will be watching for me. AND IT'S NOT THAT I'M ASHAMED OF YOU! But…"

Uraraka put a finger to his lips and quieted him. "It's okay. We'll take the back."

Deku nodded solemnly. They circled around the hedges surrounding the dorm room, ducking down low for cover. For a split-second, and only a split-second, he saw the front window to the lobby, and sure enough, pressed against the window like a dog waiting for a bone, Mineta's bloodshot eyes gazed out into the darkness, waiting.

After circumnavigating to the back, separated from the building from the tall hedges, Uraraka made Deku and herself weightless, and together, they did a mini-version of their first escapade beneath the night sky. Uraraka held on tight to Deku, and they leaped neatly together right over the hedge.

A little bit of acrobatics later, they landed safely on the back lawn of the dorm, out of view of Mineta's prying eyes. From there, they'd have to separate to their different sides of the dorm.

"Deku," said Uraraka, "I really enjoyed being with you today."

Deku nodded. "Yes!"

"Could… could we do this again tomorrow?" she asked, casting her eyes to the side. "I know it's really soon after this, but we're about to go to our certification, and I don't think we'll have time to-"

"Yes!" said Deku, only barely not shouting. "Definitely yes."

Uraraka smiled. "Thanks," she said. Then she stood up on her toes and kissed him.

Deku melted into her, embracing her in his arms, and kissing her back. He could taste the chapstick on her lips, and he was overpowered by the scent that was distinctly _Uraraka._ She smelled like flowers, and paper, and cinnamon, all rolled into one.

She shifted her lips and bit his gently, and he felt pure ecstasy all over again. He pressed himself harder against her, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

Finally, after an eternity of pure bliss, they let each other go. Deku was gasping.

"That," he said softly, "Was amazing."

Uraraka smiled. "See you tomorrow."

#

Shredgunner brooded over a weapons crate, tapping its wooden wall with his black combat boot. The warehouse was starkly lit by some mounted industrial lights they'd brought in and hooked up to generators. They could've used the overheads, but then they wouldn't be off the grid, would they?

Leave no footprint. Leave no bodies. Not until you're ready to go loud.

Then you leave a path of destruction.

He wore matching black commando body armor and a jet black face-mask that covered his whole face. His spiky red hair grew out like a lion's mane, wild and unruly. And at his side rested his best and favorite weapon. Long and sleek, designed to be mounted on a frame, and modified to fit his own needs, a six-barrelled vehicle of death: a minigun.

"Yo Shreds," said Sandman, "You sure this is gonna work?" The man was lean and gaunt. He'd started wearing a mask at Shredgunner's behest, though his quirk was as telltale as a fingerprint. Still, it gave Shredgunner some peace of mind.

Sandman stood in front of their blackboard, appreciating the design. They'd thrown up some UV lights to illuminate the invisible chalk, which overlaid with normal white chalk. The white chalk detailed stage one of their plan. Nothing that could tie directly back to Shredgunner or Sandman. The UV light was _their_ stage of the plan, to be exercised in tandem with ignorant parties.

Well, not entirely ignorant. Some misguided folks, rising up in the name of Stain. Shredgunner would use them. Let them make a big enough bang, and nobody would notice the fire burning at the back.

He smiled behind his mask. Looking at the plans he'd laid out. Months upon months of meticulous planning, careful hiding, getting some deals done and hands dirtied. It was all about to pay off.

"Oh, it'll work," he said, "Bet your ass on it."

#

The next day went by with the slow agony of a dying star. Deku found himself constantly checking the time. He'd thought about dropping Uraraka a LINE when he'd woken up, but he didn't want to appear desperate. He wanted to talk to her during training, but didn't have the time. He had to focus on building his ultimate move, and nothing could distract him from that.

Once he actually got training, time did go by pretty quickly. But the moment he let his mind wander, it ground to a halt. Thus went his day until, at last, it came to an end.

He made sure to avoid Mineta, Kaminari, Aoyama, and Tokoyami, sneaking out when none of them were looking. Thankfully, they'd been as occupied with their training as Deku had, and Aizawa-sensei did not allow for slacking.

He changed into normal clothes back at the dorm, and then almost ran to the U.A. entrance. As he neared the entrance, he realized that he probably could have waited for Uraraka back at the dorm. After all, she'd need to change too.

Sure enough, when he arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. Well, Deku guessed it was his time to wait for her.

First thought that popped into his mind? _What if she forgot?_

Second thought? _What if she changed her mind?_

And thus went his mental nail-biting from the moment he arrived until the moment Uraraka seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

"Hey, Deku," she smiled at him.

"Y-you came!" he cried, sighing in relief.

"Of course I did, silly."

"I-I know, I just… Thank you."

She smiled at him and took his hand. "Let's get going," she said.

He went along gladly, walking in step with her. Much like the night before, he didn't have much to say. Instead, he let every moment with her speak for itself, and they spoke wonders all on their own.

"So where are we going?" asked Uraraka.

"Uhm," Deku swallowed, "W-where do you want to go?"

"Let's walk around downtown!" she said, "We'll just stop wherever seems good!"

"O-okay," Deku agreed. And off they went.

#

Shredgunner waited patiently for the right time. He'd waited months for this, he could wait a little longer.

He sat in a cool dark van, armored from the outside, procured as part of a set of three. It was outfitted with military riggings and metal benches. A little cramped for his tastes, but they were far more incognito than a convoy of military trucks, and that would make stashing them easier.

Of course, what he was about to do was far from incognito.

Sure, there were probably quieter ways to do this, but where was the fun in that? No, going loud was the best option. And who hears a single gunshot in the wake of a war?

Crank was buried in his laptop, clacking away at the keys, the screen shining bright blue against his glasses. He was young, but he was good. Shredgunner had paid good money to get him on this job. And now? It was all about to pay off.

He lifted his radio. "You ready, Sandman?"

"Locked and loaded," the man buzzed back.

"Alright, men," said Shredgunner, "Get ready to roll out on my signal."

He made eye contact with one of Crank's eyes- the two eyes moved independently of one another, so even as he looked to Shredgunner with one, he kept the other glued to the screen.

"Do it," Shredgunner said, and the kid smiled.

#

Deku licked at his ice-cream cone and shuddered. Wasabi. Why did he choose wasabi?

They'd decided to get ice-cream from one of those hundred-flavor stands, and his indecision had gotten the better of him. So while Uraraka had easily chosen a cherry-blossom flavored cone, he'd closed his eyes and picked randomly.

And he'd gotten wasabi-flavored ice cream. It was _so_ strong, burning his throat and nostrils, making him tear up.

"Deku, you're making a funny face," said Uraraka as she delicately licked the top of her cone. She was so adorable. The ice-cream, strangely enough, matched her cheeks.

And Deku probably looked like a schizophrenic mess, with the sniffling and wheezing. "Sorry," he coughed, "They went overboard on the wasabi in the wasabi ice-cream."

Uraraka laughed. "You didn't _have_ to get it, you know. You could've picked something else."

"But I couldn't make up my mind, so I went with fate."

She laughed again and gently held her cone out to him. "Do you want some of mine instead?"

Deku jumped back and almost dropped his cone. "Uraraka!" he said, "I can't- I shouldn't- I…"

"Why not?" she smiled, "I want you to have some of it."

Her face was red, just like his. She was embarrassed too, she just handled it better than he did. Deku swallowed. "O-okay," he said. He leaned forward and licked off some of the ice-cream. And as he did so, he imagined that he could taste some of Uraraka in there as well.

The thought made him swallow early, and then when he went to breathe, some of the ice-cream went down the wrong pipe. He turned to the side and coughed loudly.

"Oh no!" Uraraka said, "You're dying!" She patted his back gently as he coughed before he finally took in a gasp.

"S-sorry," he mumbled.

She laughed. "You have ice-cream on your face." She reached up and wiped it with her fingers from his cheek. Her hand lingered there for a second, before she turned red and withdrew. She sucked the ice-cream from her fingers as she looked away timidly.

They were, after all, in a public area. Right smack-dab in the middle of downtown, with high-rise residential and shopping areas surrounding them. They stood in front of a shopping street, the same shopping street where he'd had an encounter with Shigaraki Tomura.

He swallowed as he thought back to that day. So many things could have gone wrong. How many people could have died?

"Deku?" said Uraraka.

"Sorry," he answered, "Just thinking again."

"You do that a lot," she said.

"I know, it's just…"

A keen-pitched whine pierced the twilight, gathering like a crescendo, before transitioning nature into the 5 P.M. Chime. The soft melody played over the city disaster-warning network, like a lullaby for the end of the day. And on its final note, it changed, back into that high-pitched, eery noise.

Everyone froze. Deku felt a chill run down his spine.

A voice spoke over the speaker system, loud enough that everyone in the city could hear it. It was a deep, dark voice that sounded. "Citizens," it growled, "Look to your TVs."

Deku grabbed Uraraka by the arm and sprinted to the closest electronic store.

"Deku!" Uraraka yelled, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," said Deku. But whatever it was, whatever it was...

They reached the electronics store, and through the window, Deku saw the screens, all tuned to the same channel. All broadcasting a figure with a black ski mask, standing before a red backdrop.

"Citizens of this city," said the man, his voice carried over the city speakers, "We are Stain's Will. We have come to seize this city from the clutches of fake heroes and false prophets, to purge the shadow of villainy from this wretched landscape. Only by pure sanctification is this possible. You may hide, but you will be found. You may run, but you will be run down. No one is safe. No one is free. This is Stain's Will, and we shall see it through."

The screens went black, and the speakers turned off. There was silence. Deku swallowed, sharing a glance with Uraraka. They needed to get back to U.A.

Then the gunfire started, and so did the screams.

#

"This is Stain's Will, and we shall see it through."

The video ended, and Crank looked up from his laptop at Shredgunner with both eyes and said, "It's time. We have fifteen minutes, maybe less."

"Understood," said Shredgunner, "Everyone roll out."

The driver peeled out of the alleyway, tires screeching with the turn.

"Teams Bravo and Charlie in transit," said Crank, one eye returned to the screen and the other focused on the road in front of them, "ETA is 2 minutes."

"And the fireworks?"

"Fireworks 001, 003, and 004 are active. 002 and 005 had late starts, but that could work in our favor. They'll keep tangos engaged for longer."

"That wasn't the plan," growled Shredgunner.

"Well, they're just radicalized civilians. What do you expect?"

Shredgunner growled in affirmation. He'd worked with civilian populations before. He knew to expect these types of mistakes from them. Just keep his head on the mission at hand, and let everything else fall into place.

They pulled to a stop and began their phase of the plan. Phase Ultraviolet. Before stepping out of the vehicle, Shredgunner pulled a silenced pistol from his vest and cocked it.

#

The gunfire, the screaming, Deku could hear it, he could hear it all. No more than a couple blocks from them. But was that even gunfire? It was so long, and so constant, not like the shots that from Snipe's pistols. But the screams were real. So very real.

Deku moved to go to them, to stop them, when Uraraka grabbed his arm.

"Deku," she said, her face pale. "We need to go back to U.A."

"But the people," he said, "We need to go help them."

"We can't," she said, pulling on him in the other direction, "We don't have our provisional hero certification. You remember what Aizawa-sensei said, right? Please, for now, let the pros do their job."

Deku swallowed hard. She was right. He knew she was right. And yet he couldn't just leave. He couldn't just hear people crying out for help and not go to them.

"Please," she said, "Please let's just go back to U.A. for now."

Deku ground his teeth in frustration. The gunfire continued, followed by explosions. Clouds of dust whipped up into the air from several streets down. There were people dying, and he couldn't do a damn thing.

"Please."

"Okay," Deku finally said, "Let's go."

They ran together out of the mall, navigating the flood of panicked people pushing for the exit. They shambled out onto the street, where traffic had stopped. Already, Backdraft was setting up barricades with his water quirk, redirecting traffic away from ground zero. Plumes of smoke rose up into the sky from far behind him, further into the heart of downtown.

With Uraraka's hand in his, Deku ran along the main street, away from all the chaos, and back toward school. The crowd was insane, people running breakneck between others to get away from what was surely carnage.

"This way," Deku yelled, pulling Uraraka off the main street and onto a side alley. He panted as they came to a stop, leaning against the wall. "This is insane," he said, "That crowd is insane."

"Let's take the back alleys for now," said Uraraka, "But I don't think it's a good idea for us to go flying anywhere."

"No, you're right," said Deku, "The pros will think we're part of that mess."

They moved hastily along the back alleys of the city. Along this route, there were still people, but not as many. Nowhere near the rush from before.

Without that pressing urgency pushing them along, Deku had a moment to think. Something was off, he realized. When he saw the video, he'd assumed it was the League of Villains orchestrating all this. But that didn't make sense, because the League was always quick to take claim for events, and they weren't even mentioned during the broadcast.

Which meant that Stain's Will was a different group. By virtue of their name alone, they wanted to take up the mantle of the Hero Killer. But the viral sites, the videos, they were all about social movement by force, about creating true heroes. Stain never killed civilians, so why were these people wantonly attacking civilians?

"To sanctify this city," the voice had said.

But that just sounded like buzz words, like hacktivist trash talk. It didn't actually _sound like_ Stain. It didn't sound like conviction.

"Deku," said Uraraka, "I know that look. What are you thinking?"

Deku shook his head. "Nothing I can act on. But, be careful. I don't think this is what it seems. Let's get back to the dorm pronto."

They kept running through downtown's bowels, along alleys, until there was almost nobody else around. The crowds had dispersed, each person going their own way to escape the wreckage.

And even yet, in the distant background, the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard echoing through the alleys.

Deku didn't understand. Guns were almost impossible to obtain, let alone whatever Stain's Will was using. It had to be automatic weapons, but those were military-grade. Where would you even get those?

From an outside source. A supplier. Someone who could circumnavigate the law, and sneak contraband weapons into the heart of Japan. But for what purpose? Why?

They came out onto another wide road. Not the main road, but a secondary road. It was almost deserted as well. People must have been far enough away from the wreckage to stay indoors. Even as he looked, the city loudspeaker bellowed, "We advise all civilians to stay indoors. You are not in any immediate danger. We repeat: stay indoors."

They'd come out across from the National Bank: the largest bank in the city. Not as large as something in, say Tokyo, but still large enough to look like they'd throw Deku out without a moment's thought.

Deku stopped. There was something wrong. The bank's front doors were wide open- and they were automatic doors… Then he saw it. The broken glass, and.. And.. Oh no.

Blood. Lots of blood, splashed over the front steps. And in the center of that giant pool of blood lay the bank security guard, shot three times through the chest.

He jerked Uraraka behind a parked car.

"What's going on, Deku?" she said, eyes focused.

"Someone is robbing the bank," he said glancing over the hood of the car. Only now did he notice the unmarked black vans parked in front of the building. They were still running, ready for a quick getaway.

"We should go for help," whispered Uraraka.

"Yeah, you're right," said Deku, "Lets-"

He ducked down, shoving Uraraka's head down with him. At that exact moment, two men walked out the front doors, cracking glass beneath their boots. Deku glanced around the corner of the car at them, staying concealed.

The men meant business. They carried large bags, probably filled with cash, out to the second van and threw them in with militant efficiency. And at their waists, strapped to theri shoulders, they each carried black, military-looking rifles.

Deku swallowed and hid back behind the car, breathing heavy. Who were these people? Where were the heroes? Weren't there alarms going off?

One of the men's radio buzzed. "All hands prep for extrication. ETD five minutes."

Did they have something to do with Stain's Will? Why were they lingering if they already had the money from the vault? He needed to find out what was going on

"Deku," said Uraraka, "What are you planning?"

"We need to stop them."

"You can't," she hissed, "We'll be expelled if you use your powers to fight them. Or worse."

"I can't just let them leave. They _killed_ that man. Who's to say they won't kill other people? We need to at least see what they're doing."

"But what if they kill _you_ too?"

Deku swallowed. "Let's just make sure they don't see me. Can you float me up to the roof?"

"Of course, but-"

"But Uraraka, we need to act _now_."

"I know. That's why I'm going with you." She gave him a small, nervous smile. She was terrified, but she would do this.

Deku nodded. "Let's go."

She latched onto him, and when the robbers weren't looking, Deku launched into the air, cresting just over the bank's roof. They landed softly on the tar-paved roof, which was covered with a network of air conditioning vents and antennae. And at the back of the building, there was a small access shed to the emergency stairs.

Deku ducked behind one of the AC vents. There was a stairway leading over another section of ventilation, and at the peak of that stairway stood another armed robber. Like the others, he carried a military-style rifle and wore a full-face ski mask.

The man hadn't seen Deku yet. No, his gaze was focused upward, likely watching for incoming helicopters or flying superheroes. Which meant that if Deku rushed him, he could probably get there before the guy could get a shot off.

Turning to Uraraka, Deku said, "I'm going to take him out."

Uraraka seemed to consider that for a long time, her eyes focused, before she finally nodded. "Do it, but take this." She reached into her purse and retrieved a roll of gauze. "Roll this around your face and head," she said, "So they can't see your face."

Deku stared at the gauze for a second. "Why do you have a roll of gauze in your purse?"

"Because this type of stuff seems to happen with you a lot. I figured I could at least be prepared for a medical emergency. But in this case…" she swallowed before continuing, "In this case, what we're about to do will get us expelled, _unless_ nobody knows it's us. It's not the best option, but you're right. We need to stop these people."

She gave him a small smile. "You can do it Deku. We can do it. Together."

Deku nodded with a smile of his own. He took the gauze from her with shaky hands and wrapped it around his face, head and neck. He tried to make sure he got his hair tucked under the cloth, but he was sure tufts of it stuck out. And he couldn't cover his eyes, so there was a gap there.

He finished and handed the gauze back to her. She took it and began wrapping it around her own head, tucking her shoulder-length hair into it. Within moments, her face was completely concealed.

They weren't perfect disguises, he knew. Their clothes could still be giveaways if the police saw security footage of the event. They'd have to get rid of the clothes they wore that day.

But for now, it was time to get to business.

"What are you going to do with your purse?" he asked.

Uraraka seemed to consider that for a second. She couldn't carry it into battle. At least not without it getting in the way.

"Take him out first," she said, "And we'll worry about that later."

Deku nodded, and behind her gauze-mask, he could see the outline of Uraraka's smile.

He checked around the corner of the AC one more time. The robber was still looking away from them. He could do this. _He could do this._

Deku launched around the vent, pushing off with full-cowling strength right at the man. He flew through the air, sailing right toward him.

At the last second, the robber saw him coming, but it was too late. He cried out in surprise, and that cry of surprise quickly turned into a cry of pain, as Deku launched a full kick right into his ribs.

Deku felt the man's bones break beneath the force of his kick, and the man crumbled to the ground. He tried to pull up his rifle for a shot, but in one swift motion, Deku kicked the gun away from his hand and slammed him face-first into the metal walkway.

The gun ripped right off the straps and skitted over to the low roof wall, landing with a clack.

The man was unconscious. Deku sighed in relief. One down, no injuries.

He turned back to Uraraka and saw her picking through her purse. "I didn't want to do this before," she said pulling out her school ID, keys, a few bills of yen, and train card, "Because I was afraid he'd see it." Then she closed her purse and chucked it into the sky. It sailed far and far away from the building, much further than any baseball throw.

And then it was gone.

"Let's go," she said.

Deku nodded, and they entered the emergency stairwell together. They descended the concrete steps down to the second floor and stopped at the exit to an inner balcony within the bank.

Deku peered around the corner, ears tuned for the sound of footsteps and voices.

He spied a single guard overlooking the balcony rail. He carried himself professionally, both hands on his weapon. He wasn't watching the stairs, instead keeping his gaze fixed on first-floor entrances and upper windows.

The balcony stretched out on either side, ending on opposite walls. It was more for show than for utility. There was no elevator up to here, nor any rooms. It did, however, make for a great sniper perch.

"Crank," said a voice, "Where are we on the transfer?"

"Nearly there, sir," said a younger voice. It sounded like the person was around Deku's age.

"Good, let's wrap this up. Sandman, where are we on the cash?"

"Just about done," said a croaky, tired voice, "Only a few more loads."

Deku tapped on Uraraka's shoulder, signalling for her to follow him. They moved together, creeping up on the robber. They struck together. At the same moment Deku reached out and wrapped his arm around man's throat, Uraraka touched the man's back and made him weightless.

Deku took him to the ground and choked him out in moments without a single peep.

Glancing over the railing, Deku took in the situation. It was bad.

There were two more corpses smeared across the marble floor, riddled with bullets and leaking blood. One of them looked like a security guard, another looked like a bank employee. The security guard, though, the security guard seemed to be half-buried in the marble, his hips and legs completely gone.

At least two dozen civilians knelt with their hands behind their heads. Three more armed robbers patrolled between them, weapons ready. And among those robbers, there was a fourth, a tall man with a black face-plate. He wore tactical military gear, with a radio strapped to his chest. In one hand, he carried a silenced pistol, and in the other, he held a long, sleek six-cylindered weapon. A minigun.

The man was huge. At least six feet tall, with crazy red hair spiking out the back. Actually, now that Deku thought on it, the man reminded him of the pro hero Gunhead.

Uraraka gasped. "He looks just like…"

"I know," said Deku, "I know."

There were two other men in the room that Deku could see from his vantage point. One sat at a computer behind a banking desk, clacking away at a keyboard. Another was walking out with two large sack of money. He tossed the sack to the two first robbers they'd seen, and as he returned back to within the depths of the bank, the other two went to carry the money back out to the vans.

"This is bad," whispered Deku, "This is really bad."

"Then what's the plan?" said Uraraka.

Deku swallowed and began to speak as he planned. "Our first objective is protecting the hostages. He's not on the phone with anyone, so I don't think the police know about this yet. That means someone is jamming the signals, just like when the League of Villains attacked USJ.

"That doesn't mean they're using quirks to do that though. Most of these robbers seem quirkless, or they seem to have quirks that aren't very noticeable. That's probably why they're using guns instead of just their powers. Regardless, all this means that he's keeping the people here so they can't run and tell the police or the pros about this. He's not trading anything for them. Which means they're easily expendable if someone tries to interfere."

"So," said Uraraka, "What should we do?"

"All of them carry guns except for the guy at the computer. There are five armed men in here, plus two more out front. The low-level lackeys probably won't kill the civilians without an order to do so. So if we can take out the core leader in one hit, and dispose of the three other robbers before the others get back, then we can take the upperhand."

"Can we even do that?" said Uraraka.

Deku pressed his thumb to the gauze on his chin. "Maybe, but it will be risky." He explained his plan to her quickly

Uraraka nodded. "Let's do it."

"You sure?"

"I believe in you, Deku."

"Okay, let's do it."

Taking a deep breath, Deku jumped up onto the balcony banister and held Uraraka's hands. Inside the building, there were three marble pillars on either side, making six total. They were thick, with classical American-style fluting. He would have to use those if he planned not to die in the next several seconds.

Then, Deku jumped, taking Uraraka with him, catapulting right at large man with the minigun.

His plan relied on surprise, confusion, and overwhelming force. And hopefully, just hopefully, it would work.

He screamed as they flew through the air. Then, as he was about to slam right into the man, he _threw_ Uraraka at the three other robbers. She released herself and him right before colliding with them, and he slammed right into the leader, throwing a full-cowling kick right at the man's face.

The man moved like a whip. He raised his hand up, blocking Deku's kick with his forearm, and then in the same motion aimed the silenced pistol with his other hand at Deku's face.

Deku barely swerved out of the way in time, pushing off the man's forearm with his other leg and ricocheting through the air. He slammed against one of the pillars and leaped from it to the other.

A trail of bullets followed him, bursting out of the masked man's minigun and ripping through the marble and stone, following him like a swarm of bees.

Deku didn't have the time to spare a glance at Uraraka, but he hoped she was doing okay. He slammed downward, beneath the oncoming fire and cracking the marble beneath him. He launched forward, relying on his superior speed to get him to the man before the minigun could find him.

He wouldn't be fast enough. At the last second, he dropped to his knees and slid on the marble, the bullets searing through the air right above him. He collided with the man's leg, clipping him and making him stumble to the ground.

Deku kept sliding for several more meters, before coming to a stop right by one of the hostages.

No time to think. Need to close the distance.

He flipped around and pressed off with his right foot to-

His foot _sank into the marble._

His foot was followed by the other, and then his legs. He desperately pulled against the liquid marble around him, but the struggle only made him sink deeper. What was going on? The security guard. This was what got the security guard.

The masked man stood up to full height, carrying his minigun like a toy. "Well done, Sandman," he said.

Only then did Deku notice the fifth man, the one carrying the bags of money, had returned. He had dropped the bags and had his hand planted to the ground. Between him and Deku, three hostages had sunken into the marble as well.

This was bad. This was really bad.

Deku struggled against the quicksand-like marble, and sank up to his waist.

"Not bad, kid," said larger man, "Tell me, what's your name."

Deku didn't answer. He could try to One-For-All 100% his way out of the quicksand, but he'd smash his body again, and then he wouldn't be able to fight properly. His head blazed through different plans and strategies to get out of this mess, but each one led to nowhere.

"No the talkative type, huh?" said the man, "Well, you definitely have got spunk, so you can call me Shredgunner. Not that it matters, really. Sorry, kid. It's just business."

Shredgunner raised the minigun and aimed it at Deku. The gun began to whir to life, spinning. In only a moment, it would spew out dozens, if not hundreds of bullets.

This was it. All or nothing, Deku had to pull himself out of Sandman's quirk. He couldn't afford to die here!

Uraraka came charging in. Right as the minigun was about to fire, she leaped from behind at Shredgunner and touched his back. The man stumbled forward, floating in the air.

Then his minigun fired directly at the ground. The force of it catapulted him upward, careening into the ceiling with an enormous crash. Bullets sprayed in all directions, scoring the ground and sending chips of marble flying in every direction.

"Run!" Uraraka screamed over the gunfire. The civilians bolted for the doors, screaming as they ran. A couple went down in a spray of blood, but they kept going.

Uraraka reached Deku and grabbed him by the hand. "Come on," she said, "You need to get up."

"I can't," Deku grunted, "He has me trapped in quicksand."

"Who does?"

Deku glanced around. Sandman must have fled, because he was nowhere to be seen. "Here," he said, "Back up."

She did, and he _smashed_ the marble around his waist. It exploded outward, sending chunks of stone in every direction. But he was free.

"Help the others escape!" shouted Deku, pointing at some of the struggling civilians, "I'm going to get out the others who've been stuck."

Uraraka nodded, sprinting to one of the downed civilians and trying to help him to his feet, all amidst the pelting storm of bullets.

Deku ran to one of the half-buried people and smashed him free. He reached down and pulled him up, sending him toward the emergency exit. Then, he went to the next, ready to the same thing.

Uraraka cried out suddenly, and Deku's world stopped. He turned to look back at her, and saw her crumpled onto the floor, clutching her side.

 _She's been hit. No, no, no. She can't be, she can't be._

He began to run to her, and an enormous groan shook the building, terrible the rending of steel. One of the marble pillars shifted in place, and small bits of rock splintered out from the base its base, where the minigun had tore through it.

It began to fall toward Uraraka.

Deku sprinted as fast as his legs could carry, green tails of energy trailing behind him. He closed the gap even as the pillar loomed like a destructive axe, ready to rend Uraraka from his life.

He would reach her, and we he carry her to safety.

Then he saw the person she was sheltering. A young woman, sunken into marble. Screaming, with wide, terrified eyes.

He wouldn't be able to get her out in time.

No. He would _not_ let any more people die.

"Uraraka!" he cried.

He sprinted beneath the pillar and _caught it_. He crumpled from the strain, the thick marble bulk pressing into his shoulders and back. Legs buckling beneath the weight, back popping, he grit his teeth and screamed.

Uraraka was right there beneath him, looking up at him with bewildered, tearful eyes.

"I will always save you," Deku cried, heaving the mighty pillar off his shoulders and to the side. It landed on the floor with a grand crash, sending bits of marble and dust sputtering outward.

Deku groaned and fell to his knees. "I… I… I will always save you," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around Uraraka.

Distant sirens blared as tires screeched just outside. The shooting had stopped. Deku looked up around him. All the robbers were gone.

"Deku," said Uraraka, "We need to go."

"But you're hurt," he said.

"It's okay," she said, standing. "I just got caught by a marble chip. It'll bruise, but I'll be fine."

Deku let out a groan of relief. "Okay, let's go. But first, I'm going to release these last few folks."

#

They got back to U.A. that night bloody and bruised, but alive. They'd discarded the gauze masks several blocks from the bank, and from there did their best to inconspicuously make their way through the rest of the city and residential districts.

They didn't say anything as they went. They were both spent, physically and emotionally.

When they reached the dorms, they agreed through simple nods and hand gestures to take the back way again. However, when they reached the back lawn, Deku found that himself with a pit in his stomach.

As they were about to separate, he stopped and grabbed Uraraka's hand.

"Ochaco," he said quietly, "I'm sorry for getting you caught up in all that."

She shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry."

"But, but… If you'd gotten hurt, or if you'd died-"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "What was it you said, Deku? That you'd always save me?"

Deku swallowed, mouth going dry. "Y-yes."

"Do you promise me that?"

"Um…"

"Well, do you?"

Deku looked into her eyes. "Yes. I promise."

She smiled and kissed him. When she pulled away, she said, "And I promise to always save you, Deku. No matter what."

She squeezed his hand for a long moment. Deku kept expecting her to eventually let go, but she didn't. And neither did he.

"Deku?" said Uraraka, her face turning red, "I can't help but feel like our date was interrupted."

"O-our d-date?"

Uraraka laughed. "That's what this was, wasn't it?"

Deku swallowed. "I-I guess."

"Th-then, would you like to continue this date? To make up for the one we lost? I-I can make some popcorn, and we can watch some movies on my tv."

Deku couldn't believe his ears. Uraraka was _inviting_ him to her room. "R-really?" he gasped.

She stopped and frowned for a second. "Yes, but only if you promise to behave. No funny business."

Deku straightened up like a board, his face turning pale. "Yes! Of course! I'd never do something like that!"

Uraraka smiled. "Let's do it then. Hop on. We'll go in through my balcony."

Deku swallowed but did as instructed. His mind raced in anticipation. This was the moment he'd never known he'd always been waiting for, the culmination of every relationship he'd ever had: his first "official" date.

 **Final Notes: Whooee. That was a doozy. For me, at least. A little bit of background behind this chapter: it was easily my most difficult chapter to write for this fic, and not just because of the length. Arguably one of the most important elements of any story is conflict. You can have amazing characters, an awesome setting, and a cool magic system, but if you don't have a strong conflict, your story will feel aimless and get boring really quickly. To have each chapter singularly focus on Deku's growing relationship with Uraraka would grow stale. So, I introduced Shredgunner as a character to provide external conflict for them. That way, I could grow their relationship as characters while also giving them very real obstacles to overcome. I know I could have used the League of Villains, but I don't feel like Shigaraki fits this particular plot setup. And when he returns in the anime, I know it's going to have a huge impact, and I don't want to take away from that.**

 **Another major issue comes from repetition. In any rough draft, it's easy to accidentally fall into a rut of using the same phrases over and over again. It's a common issue that's usually remedied by a good edit or two. But since this is unedited, I don't have that advantage. So if you see me repeat a lot of similar phrases, sorry. Another drawback to not editing is that it can be difficult to maintain consistent character voice, but that's a topic for another time.**

 **It's worth noting that this chapter was a pain in the neck as far as structure goes. When I write my original works, I will write the entire book before I go back to edit. That way I have a clear vision of where my book will be going when I decide to tailor scenes. Oftentimes, I cut unnecessary scenes. Because I'm releasing this weekly (or at least, I'm trying to), I lack that extra hindsight as to whether or not a scene works from a structural perspective. So, I have to just trust my gut and go with it. Hopefully it worked in this case. Let me know what you all think, thanks!**


	5. Recovery Girl-- Origin: Part 1

Recovery Girl- Origin: Part 1

 **(Hello, everyone. I'm back after a bit of a hiatus. I'm afraid real life is jerk sometimes. That said, I'm still figuring out where to take Deku and Uraraka, considering the events that transpired during the rest of season 3. Worry not; I intend for their story to be satisfying in cool. In the meantime, however, I wanted to tell a story focusing on someone else. It'll be only a few chapters, but it's an arc entirely about a young Recovery Girl. I'll be reappropriating the role of a yet-unnamed character for what I think is a fun OC. I've got the whole plot mapped out, and the story is about half-written. I plan to release it over three or four chapters, about a week apart. And once I finish that, it's back to the drawing board for Deku and Uraraka. As per usual, please leave a review. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. You're all so awesome!).**

 _Many years ago, when an elderly lady was yet a young, spry, and beautiful woman..._

Chiyo left the hospital, shoulders sagged and hair frazzled out of place. Her heels clicked on the pavement, her ankles swollen from standing her whole twelve hours. And twenty-four hours from now, she'd have to do it again.

The heavy-lidded sun sank deep behind the towers, filtering through the city streets with blushes of crimson and gold. The day was crawling to an end, as was she.

She lived only ten blocks from the hospital, in a little apartment by herself, but those ten blocks felt like ten million. Every day, she felt exhausted, pushed beyond the brink. As if every single step she took was one too many.

Her decision to become a doctor had almost been decided from childhood. When her quirk had manifested, her parents were overjoyed. Her daughter would be able to help people. It didn't take Chiyo long to decide to keep quiet about her power, though.

Today alone, three different patients had maimed themselves in an attempt to convince her to kiss them. Coming into the ER, bloody, with broken bones, asking after the fabled, "Recovery Girl," who healed all wounds with a kiss.

It was… unnerving, at best. Horrifying, at worst.

She'd had half a mind to let the fools just die. But no. That wouldn't have been professional. So, she fixed their broken bones, stitched their cuts. Let them recover the old-fashioned, painful way. And if they were permanently scarred from their stupidity? Well, that was their own problem.

She sighed, leaning against a lightpole. She was only twenty-five, and she already felt too old for this. Maybe she should just give in and let someone marry her?

She spat at the thought and shoved forward regardless of exhaustion. She would never be satisfied as a simple housewife. She was born to heal, regardless of the actions of dumbasses…

 _Or the aching in my legs…_

In any case, she was almost home, and she would find the sweet, soft embrace of a mattress and blankets awaiting her. Or so she thought.

She stepped off the elevator to see a young man, about her age, leaning against the door to her apartment. She recognized his face anywhere, from the hard-edged eyes to his perpetual scowl. Though his clothes had changed since high school, he still looked like the exact same delinquent she'd know back then. He even kept his head closely buzzed, black hair only a centimeter from his skin.

The cigarette was new, though.

"Eeeey, Chiyo," Urusuke grinned at her, taking a long draft of smoke, "Long time no see."

Chiyo's heart fluttered, but she forced herself to frown at him. "You bum. What are you doing here?"

His grin widened. "You mean I can't visit an old friend?"

She put her hand on her hip. "You are far too petty to simply stop for a visit."

"Ack," he clutched at his heart, "Damn, you haven't changed a bit."

"I see you haven't, either."

He squatted down and snubbed his cigarette, "Nope. Same old delinquent. Try as he might, old Goji never could quite beat the stupid outta me."

"How is Master Goji?"

"Ah, he croaked a few months back. Said he was tired of my shit."

Chiyo's heart jolted. "Master Goji is dead? I can't believe it."

"Well, the geezer was around when there dinosaurs walked the earth, so-"

"You ass," Chiyo said, kicking him in the shin, "Show some respect for him."

"Tch. You'd be just as pissed if he'd put you through the hell I'd gone through."

With a groan, Chiyo slumped against the wall next to him. "So you finished your training, then?"

"More or less." He clenched his fist and relaxed it.

"So, no."

"Pffft," said Urusuke, "I got most of it down. The rest of it, I can figure it out on my own."

Chiyo barked a derisive laugh. "Seven years," she scoffed, "You had seven years with the master, and you _still_ haven't got your shit together. I still can't believe he chose you, of all people."

"He must've been losing it or something," offered Urusuke.

"No," said Chiyo, poking him in the side, "He saw something in you, deep deep _deep_ beneath all the sludge and muck, he saw something resembling a decent human being. Sometimes, I see it too, when you aren't busy being an ass."

Something in Urususke's demeanor changed, as if he actually couldn't understand Master Goji's decision. He stared down at his fist again, lost in thought, his brows furrowed, before he finally whispered, "It still doesn't make sense. Why choose me? Of all the people in Japan, in the world, why entrust me with this?

"Before he died, he said that he'd entrusted to me the hopes of those who came before, of all the possessors of this power. That their desire to see a just and better future would enable me to do what was right. But I just don't see it. I just don't feel it. The power's there, but… I don't feel like a good person, Chiyo. I just feel like a sack of shit walking."

"Perhaps that's why he gave it to you," said Chiyo softly, "To teach you to give yourself to others. That's why it's call One-For-All, right? You give your everything for those around you."

"You would have made a much better successor," said Urusuke, "You already help people without anybody telling you. He should have just given you One-For-All."

Chiyo flinched at the thought. "I'd sooner die than become a hero. Way too much trouble. I can help people in other ways."

"Oh, and I'm much better suited for hero work," spat Urusuke.

"You were chosen for a reason. And that's all there is to it."

With a sigh, Urusuke rose to his feet. "Thanks for the talk, Chiyo."

She stood to meet his gaze. He really was still so handsome, with an added ruggedness to his features after years of training and fighting. She couldn't believe how long it'd been since she'd seen him, since he'd disappeared at high school graduation with Master Goji.

And somehow, it felt like not a single day had passed between them.

"I'm always happy to help," said Chiyo breathlessly, "But try not to be a stranger, okay."

"In that case, I have a favor to ask," said Urusuke.

"Anything."

A sheepish look took over his face, and he scratched his head, "Truth be told, I don't have anywhere to stay for the night, and I'm strapped for cash."

And like that, Chiyo let her annoyance with him come crashing back in. "Seriously?" she groaned, then decided, "Fine, you can sleep on the sofa. But I've got a long day tomorrow, so you'd best not make a peep."

Urusuke clasped his hands together, "Thank you so much, Chiyo. I really owe you big."

"Then in that case," she said, turning the key to her apartment, "You will let me take you shopping tomorrow morning. You look like a bum, and it'll do you no good to appear homeless as you stop crime."

"Who says I'll be stopping crime," Urusuke mumbled.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That's what I thought."

They went into her apartment. Suffice to say, it was a bit nicer than the one she had in her college years. Came with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and separate bedroom. It was nice to finally not be completely cramped. She could even have guests over on occasion.

Now if only she actually had a social life.

"There's running water if you need it," she said, kicking off her shoes, "And top ramen in the cabinets."

"You know me so well," he grinned, stumbling across the floor and collapsing onto the couch.

Now that Chiyo thought on it, Urusuke actually looked as tired as she felt. That wasn't the exhaustion of simple travel. She'd been so distracted by his sudden appearance that she hadn't noticed: he bore battle wounds. He'd been in a fight.

She pretended not to notice. If she started doting on him like a mother hen, he'd be out the door faster than you could say quirkless bastard.

Closing her bedroom door behind her to change, she called through the wall, "There're some beers in the fridge too, if you're interested."

She could almost hear him perk up.

"Never took you for a drinker," he said. She heard his footsteps, the opening of the fridge and the clinking of glass.

"I'm not," she replied, "I bought those over a year ago on a whim, and never had a reason to drink them."

"Well, I grabbed you a bottle," he said, kicking back on the sofa.

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Chiyo, opening the door and sliding next to him on the sofa. She wore simple pajamas, nothing flashy- heavens, no- just something soft to sleep in.

"Bah," said Urusuke, "Just one round, nothing more."

Chiyo frowned. She didn't like being drunk. But just one bottle wouldn't hurt. She took the bottle from him, but realized she forgot the bottle-opener.

"Ah, let me get this open," she said.

"No worries," said Urusuke, "I got this." He grasped the metal top and popped it off with ease.

"One-For-All," said Chiyo, "Bottle-Opening quirk."

"I could make a fortune. People can't find their bottle opener, and so they call me: Asahi-man! I'll burst through the door to applause, just to pop open their bruskies and celebrate for a toast before disappearing into the night."

"You've thought this through," laughed Chiyo, taking a sip of the beer. She nearly gagged. It tasted like shit. She politely placed the bottle on her knee-high table, deciding that she was _not_ going to drink anymore tonight.

Urusuke belched. "Yeah, I'd be a riot at parties."

"So Urusuke," said Chiyo, "What brought you to Musutafu."

"What, I can't just stop by to visit an old friend?"

"I'd sooner expect you to start peddling ice cream to children."

He grunted. "Well, if you knew why I was actually here, the idea of me handing out ice cream cones won't sound all that outlandish."

She put her hand on his. "You know you can tell me, right?" she said, "All this time, I've kept your secret. I promise I can keep another."

He groaned, took another swig of beer, and sank deeper into the sofa. "Truth be told, I've been tracking a trafficking rink. There's a cell of slavers here in town, catching and kidnapping U.A. hopefuls with promising quirks. I'm trying to root 'em out and find my way to their boss"

"Wait, you're actually doing _hero_ work?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."

Chiyo giggled. "You're actually doing hero work. See, I _knew_ Goji saw something in you."

An annoyed scowl flickered across Urusuke's face, but it was good-natured. "I said not to rub it in. I'm not cut out for this hero crap. I'm just doing what needs to be done, alright?"

"I'm sure Master Goji would be proud of you."

"Hey, don't bring him into this."

Chiyo stood and smiled. Then, she bent over and kissed his forehead, letting her healing quirk work its magic. "Get some rest," she said, pulling back, "You've got a long day tomorrow."

"You… didn't have to do that," he yawned.

"I know," Chiyo said, "But I wanted to. After all, I am _Recovery Girl._ "


	6. Recovery Girl-- Origin: Part 2

Recovery Girl- Origin: Part 2

 **(So, I'm uploading my next chapter. I hope you guys like it. I know these are short chapters, but think of Recovery Girl- Origin as a novella. I've found that shorter works typically have shorter chapters. But maybe that's just me. I mean, my chapters tend to lean on the shorter side anyway. In any case, I've got plenty of awesome content coming up, so please leave a favorite, review, and follow. I wouldn't want you to miss out on what's coming up next. Thank you again for your support, and I'll see you all next time).**

The next morning, Chiyo awoke bright and early, well before the sun was up. It was pure habit at this point. She never slept in, even on her days off, like this one. Sometimes, she would go for a run, catch the sun as it rose. But not today.

She crept out of her bedroom and into the living room. She did her best to be quiet, but truth be told, she doubted she could wake Urusuke with a gong in his ear. That boy'd always managed to sleep through _anything_ when they were in high school; if there was one thing she hadn't expected to change, it was that.

He'd still be out for another four hours, at least. Which was fine by Chiyo. Gave her some time to catch up on her reading. After six years of studying medical journals and textbooks, it felt nice to finally get caught up in a steamy romance novel or two.

Not that she got too distracted- she still had to keep sharp on her medical knowledge. But residents were only permitted to work 40 hours a week, so she had, of all things, time on her hands.

She glanced over at Urusuke's sleeping form. Sure enough, he was out cold. His face didn't look peaceful- peace was never a trait of his- but he did look content, which was all she could ask for. It was so incredible to know that the little turd she used to know in junior high and high school had finally become a real hero.

And he _was_ a hero, no matter how he denied it. She knew the impact Master Goji had had on him. Heck, he'd had an impact on all their friends, but most of all Urusuke.

She settled into a chair near the balcony door and pulled open her reading app on her phone. Today would be a good day.

#

Like a broken, delayed, overly lazy clock, Urusuke finally ticked to life long after the sun rose. He slumped, rolled off the couch, and sprawled onto the floor.

"Do you… need help?" said Chiyo.

"Uggggghhhhh," he groaned.

Chiyo smiled to herself. Some things never changed.

"I've got some rice in the cooker and eggs in the fridge if you'd like."

He grunted in affirmation, and with a shaking head, Chiyo went about prepping their breakfast. She clacked the bowls of egg rice on the table with some soy sauce and chopsticks. "You can put the sauce on yourself. I've never liked it much."

Forcing himself up, Urusuke clutched the soy sauce and dumped a huge wallop of it into his bowl. "You're so bland," he said, "And can you get me a spoon. Chopsticks are a pain in the ass."

" _Are you even Japanese?_ "

"Oh shush. Spoons are divine and we should use them more. Trying to pick up little grains of liquidy rice is torture in itself."

Chiyo snapped open a drawer and grabbed out a spoon. But as she did, she thought again about how easily they'd settled back into old dynamics. It was a good thing, she decided. He'd always said he'd be leaving as soon as they finished high school. But when he had, it had hurt.

Having him back felt wonderful.

Of course, that meant he would leave just as abruptly. Probably as soon as he finished this investigation.

That brought a crinkle of sadness, but she would just make the best of this. He was here now, so she would be with him _now_.

She placed the spoon down in front of him. "After you eat, hop in the shower. We're going shopping."

He was already two mouthfuls into his rice and couldn't speak. He shook his head no. She shook her head yes. That meant he was going to do what she said.

#

"How do you look?" called Chiyo through the curtain.

"I look like a prick in this suit," groaned Ururusuke.

"I promise the suit has nothing to do with that."

"Then why even bother with this?"

"Because it's possible to look like a prick without looking like a bum."

"Har, har," he said, pushing aside the curtain.

Damn, he looked good. They'd just grabbed the suit off the rack, but they'd lucked out. It formed around his shoulders nicely, tight around the chest, without looking like it was stretching.

"Turn around," said Chiyo forcefully.

"Alright, alright," said Urusuke, "Just don't look at my ass too long, okay."

Chiyo flashed crimson. _How did he know?!_

"Ahem, well, I'll have you know that as a medical professional-"

"Blah, blah, blah. Am I done yet?"

They'd gone to the local mall to look for clothes and other supplies for him. It was still morning, so not many people were there. And honestly, Chiyo was fine with that. That gave her plenty of space to drag Urusuke around.

"Hmph," said Chiyo, miffed, "I'll get you the suit, and some normal street clothes to work in. Do you have a travel bag to keep stuff in?"

He re-entered the changing area and closed the curtain behind him. "Nah. The last one I had caught on fire."

"Then I'll get you one of those too."

He came out wearing the same ratty clothes he'd shown up on her doorstep in. "Is all this really necessary?"

"I told you already. Not a bum."

He groaned but acquiesced, and she led him throughout the rest of the shopping center. She couldn't get him too many clothes, but she got him the suit, some semi-formal wear, and some casual wear. New shoes, new trousers, new underwear.

"When you fight villains, what do you wear?" she asked.

"You assume I fight villains."

"So help me, I will make you try on the skinniest damn pair of jeans in H&M if you don't give me a straight answer."

"You know the answer," Urusuke said, "I don't think about villains, or heroes, or what I'm wearing. I just see people doing bad stuff, and I stop them. It doesn't matter what I look like."

Chiyo sighed. "Are you going to ruin the clothes I'm buying for you?"

"Probably."

They sat down at a bench between stores. A small girl led her grandmother by the wrist toward the toy store. The little old lady struggled just to keep up with the tyke, bowed over and clutching her purse as she shuffled along.

Why was it that Chiyo felt so similar to an old grandma at that moment?

She sagged into the bench. "You're going to make me turn gray and old, you know that?"

"Hey, don't blame me if you turn into a hag."

Chiyo almost smacked him but decided to smile instead. "You know, I _have_ missed you, Urusuke."

He didn't say anything. His face turned a bit red as he stared in the other direction. He seemed in that moment as impudent as ever, still the smug little asshole she'd known all her life. But like Master Goji, she'd come to see the diamond shining beneath all that rough.

"I know you'd never admit to missing me too, but you don't need to say it," she said, "And truth be told, I'll miss you when you leave again. And I'm okay with that. Just… just promise me that you'll come visit again. Preferably not after seven years."

He didn't respond.

"Urusuke?"

He shifted in his chair, legs spread wide, and rolled his head to look at her. "I can't promise I'll ever come back, Chiyo. You'd be best just forgetting about me."

Indignation blossomed from within Chiyo, bursting suddenly like water from a dam, except she hadn't even known the dam had been full. "Excuse me?! You just appear out of _nowhere_ and expect me to forget about you? Excuse me?! Forget you, just so you can pop back into my life once every ten years to remind me that you exist? How about hell no?"

He got red with frustration, not embarrassment, "Yeah, well, maybe I just won't come back at all, okay?!"

"Don't say that!" Chiyo snapped, "Dammit, Urusuke. I want you to come back to me!"

"Well, I told you already that I can't promise that!" he said, "Every time I step out of your life, there's a good chance I'm not coming back, Chiyo, and it's not by choice. Every day presents a new danger, a new enemy trying to wear me down. I can't have you waiting around hoping I'll come back to you if I'm dead in a gutter somewhere."

Chiyo slapped him.

His face was unabashed, straight, and now tingling red from where she'd hit him. And to be honest, her own hand stung. But damn it, she was angry.

"There is so much wrong with everything you just said," Chiyo hissed, "I'm not waiting around, wasting my life for some _delinquent_ to come sweep me off my feet. I am a doctor. I graduated from medical school at the top of my class. With or without you, I will make this world a better place.

"And so help me, Urusuke, if you die, I will kick your ass."

Urusuke touched his cheek and let out a breath. "You really are something, Chiyo."

"So I've been told," she said.

Then he chuckled. "Alright, alright," he said, "You win. I promise I'll come visit."

That was good, but not enough. "This friday," said Chiyo, "I'm taking you out for dinner."

"Chiyo," Urusuke said, face hardening, "I don't know if I'll be-"

"I don't think you understand," said Chiyo, "You are going to promise me, right here, right now, that we will go out for dinner this friday. I will not take no for an answer. You said you'll visit me again, and I refuse to wait another ten years for that."

"You realize you have, like, no bargaining power at all, right?"

"I said promise me."

Urusuke sighed. "Fine. I promise. Dinner, with you. This friday."

Chiyo nodded emphatically, considering the matter solved. "I'm glad you could finally see reason."

He rolled his eyes but chuckled a little. "You really haven't changed a bit."

"I could say the same to you."

He smiled for a moment, letting the air between them settle, before he stood. "I'm afraid I have to go, now," he said.

"What?" Chiyo yelped, "So soon?"

"Afraid so," he yawned, "I've got work to do if I'm going to make it for dinner on friday."

"Oh," said Chiyo, "I see."

"Eh, don't look so down. I promised to see you friday, remember?"

Chiyo swallowed but nodded. "Right," she said, "And don't you forget it."

"Never," he said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Then, straightening to full height, he said, "You know, you said you weren't just pining away for me, and I believe that. But are you sure you're happy as a doctor?"

Chiyo wasn't sure which took her aback more: his sudden departure, or this strange question. "Why, of course I'm happy as a doctor. I save people's lives."

"You say that," said Urusuke, "And I believe you. But really, I think you're not as happy as you could be. No, you haven't found your calling yet."

"And what would that be, oh wise sage?"

He shrugged. "Like I know. Perhaps we can talk about it over dinner. But for now, I gotta go."

He turned to walk away, and Chiyo felt a well of anxiety spring up in her. She stood and called out to him, "Please do come back. Please."

Urusuke waved at her without looking back, his shoulders broad and countenance straight. Yet, in his gait there seemed to be hesitation and regret, and as he disappeared into the mall, Chiyo felt the pangs of longing follow his every step.


	7. Recovery Girl-- Origin: Part 3 (Finale)

Recovery Girl- Origin: Part 3 (Finale)

 **[Alright, folks. This right here is the finale to my Recovery Girl Origin. After this, I'll be getting back to Deku and Uraraka. No promises on** ** _when_** **it'll be updated, but it will. I'm afraid that real life is a jerk. But I am not done with this fic and these characters. I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think by leaving a favorite, subscribe, and a review. Thank you]**

Urusuke pushed through the mall's front doors, and let himself get caught in the moving crowd. He slipped a cigarette out of his breast pocket, stuck it in his mouth, and lit it up with the lighter he kept in his trouser pocket.

Carrying the briefcase Chiyo had bought for him over his shoulder, he let the flow of other pedestrians guide his movements. He swaggered on like this for several blocks, stopping for traffic lights and using crosswalks. As far as anyone could be concerned, he was invisible.

Then, when he determined he'd gone far enough, he blitzed to the side. It was a quick, clean movement, enhanced by his One-For-All power. Something you wouldn't notice unless you were watching him specifically.

He entered an alley, a thick concrete building crowding in on either side, and waited.

 _1… 2… 3…_

The man tailing him rushed into the dark alley, right past him. Urusuke got a good look at him before the man noticed him. He was a bit lanky, with a mole-like snout, no doubt used for tracking. A sniffer, no doubt, placed on his tail after his last little scuffle with their gang.

The tail turned just in time for his eyes to go wide, and then Urusuke tossed his cigarette in the mole-man's face. The burning end struck him right in the eye, making him yelp in pain, and then Urusuke slammed a palm against his muzzle and snapped it to the side. It bent like a broken leg, and the man let out a high-keened whimper.

Good luck sniffing anything out after that.

In the next swift movement, Urusuke dropped his briefcase and struck the man in the chest- lightly, of course- knocking the air out of him and preventing him from screaming for help. He kicked the man in the left knee, shattering it, and twisted him around to shove him against the wall.

Urusuke leaned in the mole-man's ear and whispered, "You scream, I break your damn neck."

The tail whimpered as his air returned to him, but he did not scream.

"Good," said Urusuke. "Now, your master's got you tailing me. You're going to tell me when and where you were going to give him your report, or I will break every joint in your body, starting with your other knee."

"I-I don't know nothing,"

Urusuke twisted his arm, just short of breaking it, and the mole-man took in a gasp of breath.

"Okay, okay. We're meeting at Warehouse 7, in the industrial district."

"Good, good," said Urusuke, "Now, tell me what he looks like and what his name is."

"Look, I don't know- ow, ow, ow- stop twisting my arm! I swear I don't know. He always wears a cloak and hood, like he thinks he's in some damn light novel, okay? He told me to call him Mr. Disaster, but that's all I know. I swear."

Urusuke considered the mole-man's words for a minute, then decided he believed him. "You still haven't answered one question, my unfortunate friend. _When_ are you meeting him again?"

"Friday," said the mole-man, "At noon. That's the honest-to-goodness truth. You have to believe me."

Urusuke pushed the mole-man scraping to the ground. "You're done in this city. You hear me? Pack your shit and get out of here. If I see you again, I will not be happy."

The man looked up at him, the look of disbelief curled across his broken muzzle. "You've gotta be kidding me. How the hell am I supposed to get out of here with a busted leg?"

"Do I look like I give a damn?" said Urusuke, bending low and grabbing the mole-man by the collar of his shirt. "Leave. Now."

The mole-man's eyes went wide, and with a whimper, he pushed Urusuke off and shoved to his feet. He limped away, whining with each step, but didn't look back and disappeared further down the alley.

With a sigh, Urusuke leaned down and picked up his fallen cigarette. He stuck it between his lips and took in a big exhale.

"Sorry, Chiyo," he muttered. "Looks like I won't be making it for our date."

 **That Friday...**

Urusuke took in a long draft of his cigarette and leaned casually against the metal wall of a warehouse- warehouse number five, to be exact.

He'd found the spot pretty easily, and found that he blended in well. The Yakuza owned half of the warehouses anyway, and he never passed up an opportunity to look like a lowlife thug.

Well, today, Urusuke looked like a more well-dressed thug. He wore one of the nice white shirts Chiyo had bought him, tucked into black trousers. The rest of his clothes were in the briefcase, tucked underneath a small bridge nearby.

He let his gaze casually fall down on Warehouse 7. It was one warehouse over and just across the alleyway. He'd only just gotten to his smoking spot a few moments earlier, stopping to take a few drafts with some of the industrial workers.

When they'd returned to work, that had left sticking out like a sore thumb, but as he checked his watch, he guessed it didn't matter at this point. It was noon.

Urusuke snubbed his cigarette and walked casually to the slightly open warehouse gate. He was certain that upon seeing it wasn't their expected informant, the folks he hunted would get spooked. All that meant was he'd have to be fast enough to nab one of them.

Reaching the warehouse gate, he stepped through, out of sunlight and into the darkness.

As his eyes adjusted, Urusuke saw a great, empty warehouse. It was spotless, clean from end to end, without so much as a crumb inside.

All except for the dark, cloaked figure.

If nothing else, the mole-man had been right on the money. The guy was shrouded in black, his face hidden beneath a dark cloak.

"Yo!" said Urusuke. "You must be Mr. Disaster."

Just beneath the line of shadows concealing his face, the figure smiled. "And you must be the irritant that has hounded my master's operations these past months."

Urusuke bent his leg, stretching, before switching to the other. "Then you must know what I'm capable of. I'm surprised you're still around."

"Your power is paltry compared my master's," said Mr. Disaster. "He is beyond your comprehension, and by extension, so am I."

"You say that," said Urusuke as he cracked his knuckles, "but before we're done here, you're going to be squealing everything from the time you pissed yourself in the third grade to exactly where I can find your master. So, ask yourself this: do you want to do this the easy way, or the fun way?"

Mr. Disaster unclasped his cloak and threw it to the side, revealing a gaunt face, his hairline receding. He wore black trousers and was shirtless, exposing well-sculpted abs and enormous muscles. His eyes were shadowed, but in their dark depths a crimson gleam shined.

Urusuke grinned. "The fun way it is." He activated One-For-All, channeling it into his whole body. It felt amazing, coursing through him like a rushing tide. It… wasn't as much as it used to be, but it was still plenty.

He launched forward, cracking the concrete beneath him. Like a cannonball from hell, he closed the distance between himself and Mr. Disaster in faster than a blink.

Mr. Disaster smiled, raising a palm at Urusuke.

At the last second, Urusuke snatched at the concrete, and shoved up. The force sent him flying up and over his opponent. At that exact same moment, Mr. Disaster's arm emitted a shockwave, erupting out of his palm like the boom from a jet. It ripped through the air and tore the front of the warehouse clean off, travelled across the alley, and demolished the opposite building.

Urusuke grunted, landing directly behind Mr. Disaster, and threw a mean right hook.

His blow never made contact.

That same shockwave force erupted from Mr. Disaster's flexed back, slamming into Urusuke and sending him flying. He smashed into the back of the warehouse. He ripped straight through the sheetmetal and went airborne.

He careened into the wall of a residential tower, crushing the concrete around him, and then tumbled to the street below. He caught himself and landed in a crouch.

With a great gasp, he wiped the blood from the newly formed gash above his eye.

"Well," he said. "This is going to be fun."

#

"Get that IV in him. Patlroth, get some morphine in him. Bornish, stop that bleeding, dammit. Okay, I'm going to be removing the object now. Be ready to staunch the bleeding." Chiyo shook the sweat from her brow as she gripped the the metal rebar lodged in the young man's side.

"I'm sorry, big guy," she breathed, pulling. The man screamed, blood spurting from his lips as the bar came loose. "Hang in there. Almost there. Almoooost." The bar came free with a squelch.

In the same motion, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. Normally, she didn't resort to using her quirk, but he wasn't going to make it otherwise. Worse than that-

"Recovery Girl!" called Doctor Takanaka. "We've got another."

A girl. Couldn't be older than ten. A stop sign ripped off her ear and had cut her throat. She was only moments away from death, blood spilling out over the ER floor.

She practically sprinted to the little girl, her heart clutching in her throat, as another tremor shook the hospital.

She stumbled, but made it to the girl's cot, and in one quick motion, she leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Blood smeared across her lips- unsanitary, but at this point she couldn't take any chances.

Immediately, the healing began to take effect, but in just that amount of time, three more patients came in, two carried by paramedics, and the other carried in by their friends.

Missing legs, missing arms, cut open and bleeding.

She couldn't keep up with this.

She had no choice. She would _not_ let them die.

The television buzzed over the in the corner of the ER, the reporters flying in over the wreckage of a terrible fight between two superhuman fighters.

"We are just now getting a look- _buzz_ \- at the two combatants," said the reporter from a helicopter cam. "It is carnage here. The battle has ravaged the city, crashing through buildings and destroying trillions of yen in property."

Chiyo leaned over one of the dying men and kissed him on the forehead. Then, she cast her eyes up at the television.

Her stomach plummeted. The camera focused in on two figures. One of them a dark, terrifying monster that she didn't recognize. And the other…

 _No_.

Through the dust and smoke and flame, Chiyo couldn't mistake him. That was Urusuke, no doubt about it.

 _No. He promised me_.

"Chiyo!" called another doctor. "We need your help Chiyo."

"I…" she stumbled, eyes transfixed on the carnage on the TV. The battle was brutal, the two figures fighting like titans and gods themselves. Earth-shattering punches, splintered bones.

It was horrible to watch.

"Chiyo!"

And Urusuke was losing.

 _He PROMISED me!_

She turned away from the tv and marched to the ER entrance. They were fighting only a couple blocks from the hospital. If she could just reach Urusuke…

"Chiyo!" cried the doctor behind her.

She glanced back, and she saw what she was leaving behind: a bloodbath, people dying. Doctors at wit's end.

But she couldn't abandon Urusuke.

"I'm sorry," she said. Then she turned and ran out the door.

She ripped off her heels as she ran, flinging them behind her. Her filthy hair came undone behind her as she ran, sprinting ever closer to the epicenter of all the madness. She ran by corpses lining the ground, wounded people screaming in pain, shattered cars and shattered buildings. Other heroes fighting to bring people to the hospital, fighting the flames, getting people out safely.

Coughing on smoke, she rounded a corner and found the center of the madness. A great crater of flame and ash, where Urusuke and the madman fought. They were both bloody, but Urusuke sagged in place, while the monster, this horrifying, deformed semblance of a man yet stood tall.

Urusuke threw a punch, and the monster blocked it handily, the impact sending out a whirlwind of energy. Up above, the news helicopter swerved, almost spinning out of control.

Then, in the next moment, the monster placed a palm against Urusuke's gut, and let looks shockwave the likes of which Chiyo had never seen. It tore through Urusuke's flesh, ripping out bone and blood in a great spray.

"Urusuke!" Chiyo screamed. "No!"

Urusuke fell to a knee, half of his abdomen missing and pouring blood.

Then the monster noticed her. Its eyes fixed on her, and it smiled.

Through his pain, Urusuke glanced back and saw Chiyo for the first time. His eyes went wide as he mouthed, "Chiyo?"

The monster raised its palm at Chiyo, and she felt the wind warp around her.

"No!" Urusuke screamed. He pulled himself up and slammed a fist into the monster's gut. It flinched, and the blast ripped off just to Chiyo's left, incinerating the ground beside her.

Chiyo stumbled back, falling to the ground. Dust clung to the blood on her forehead and lips, dirt covered her doctor's outfit.

"What is this?" snarled the monster. "You haven't hit me that hard all day?"

"Shut the hell up!" Urusuke screamed, slamming another fist into the monster's face. His knees buckled, but he staggered forward and slammed another fist into him.

"You cannot beat me!" the monster roared. "You cannot beat him!"

"I told you. Shut. The. Hell. Up!" Another punch.

Chiyo stumbled to her feet and pressed toward Urusuke, shockwaves of wind whipping around her.

"Do you think you can save this city? Do you think you can save this world?!" the monster screamed. It pulled back its fist and slammed it into Urusuke's side.

Urusuke screamed, pain wracking his voice, but he remained standing. "You've got it all wrong, you son of a bitch!" He grabbed hold of the monster's arm, and _threw it_ into a nearby building. The monster came catapulting out of the wreckage, and threw a mighty punch.

Urusuke met the blow with his own fist. A thunderclap ripped through the battlefield, whipping Chiyo's hair. She pressed onward. She needed to get close to Urusuke. He wouldn't last much longer with that wound.

"It's not about defeating you!" roared Urusuke, pulling his fist back. It had shattered in the impact. "It's not about defeating your master, about defeating All-For-One." He threw another punch, shattering the monster's jaw. "It's about taking another step. One more punch. One more fist. I may not continue, but-" The monster caught another fist and crumpled it in its hand.

Urusuke screamed, but his eyes shone.

"Stop your blabbering!" screamed the monster. "And die!"

"Not before you do!" Urusuke screamed back. He kicked in the monster's knee, sending it stumbling. Immediately after, he twisted behind the monster and wrapped his arms around its abdomen.

"What are you doing?"

"Kicking your ass!" Then, Urusuke _leaped_ upward, flying high into the sky. Like a meteor, ripping through the air, up past the helicopter, up past the ruins of battle. Twisting through smoke it clouds, they rose, until they were just a pinprick in the sky.

Then they came roaring back down like a missile. They smashed into the ground together, rocking the entire city, quaking it like a great, horrific bomb.

The shockwave sent Chiyo flying backward, stumbling and tumbling in a cloud of dust and debris. A rock smashed into her arm, crushing it, and another one clipped her head, sending a splitting pain throughout her skull.

She came to a stop, dust and rocks settling on her.

All was quiet. The _chop-chop-chop_ of the helicopter blades had disappeared. The click-clack of rocks punctuated the silence as Chiyo took in a gasp of life.

With her good arm, she pushed herself to her feet. Every single inch of her body hurt. But she needed to get to Urusuke. She needed to save him.

She stumbled forward into a run. The center of impact was veiled in a great cloud of dust. She plunged into it, uncaring of monster or fire or danger. Urusuke was all she cared about. Urusuke was all she could think about.

She came to a stop over his broken and mangled body. He was still breathing, but he was torn to shreds. His gut had split in half, separating his hips from his torso. His arms were broken, and his chest caved in.

 _But his heart still beats._

Urusuke's eyes shot open, and he flicked up to see her. "Chiyo," he said weakly. "You're here."

"Yes, I'm here, you idiot," she said, falling to her knees. "You ridiculous, ridiculous fool."

"I'm… I'm sorry," he gasped, "that we won't make our date."

"Don't talk," she said. "I'm going to get you well, okay. I'm going to get you better."

"You and I both know you won't," he coughed. "Your powers work for people who still have energy, right? I'm spent."

"Shut up!" she snapped. "Dammit, Urusuke, why!" Tears began to leak down her face. "You promised me!"

"I guess I'm a liar," he said. "A filthy liar."

"No! No!"

"I… need to tell you something. I… I gave away One-For-All."

Chiyo reeled back. "What?! What do you mean?!"

"I… I passed it on already. To a girl named Shimura Nana."

"I don't understand. Why would you do that?!"

He grimaced. "I… I didn't want this responsibility. I never did. You need to find her. And… teach her what it means to be a hero. She must… stop… All-For-One..."

"Urusuke," Chiyo sobbed. "You can't pawn this off on me. This is your job."

"I'm… I'm sorry."

"Damn you!" Chiyo screamed, and she leaned down and she pressed her lips against his, sobbing as she did so. "Damn you!" she screamed between his lips. "You can't die! I love you, Urusuke! I love you, you dumb bastard."

She pulled away. His arms began to heal, his bleeding began to slow, but his face grew pale. "Thank you, Chiyo," he whispered. "You really are a hero."

Chiyo embraced him, tears streaming down her face. "And so are you, you idiot."

He breathed his last breath, and Chiyo felt him leave.

Urusuke was dead.

The moments passed like the world had shattered, slowly careening away to nothing. Chiyo held her only love's body in her arms, weeping for far longer than she'd ever cried in her life. Pain clung to her in ways she couldn't process, in ways that her time in the ER could have never prepared her for.

She clung to him when the others came, when the others came to find the hero who had died fighting for them.

She clung to him when they tried to take him from her.

And she clung to him even after he was gone, cremated and ashes flung on the wind.

She clung to him, and to his words.

 _Shimura Nana… Find her… Teach her what it means to be a hero… She must stop All-For-One..._

She would do it. She would find his successor. She would teach her to be a hero. And the only way she could do that is by becoming a hero herself. By completely taking up the mantle of Recovery Girl.


	8. Aftermath of Heroics-- Deku x Uraraka

The Aftermath of Heroics- Continuing Deku x Uraraka

Ochaco sank against the bedside frame and leaned against Deku. She was almost too tired to feel awkward.

He'd refused to sit on the bed with her, which was fair, all things considered. He _had_ promised no "funny business," but Ochaco thought he underestimated just how much she wanted to sit near him.

Only ten minutes into the _Mask of Zorro_ , she'd already slid off her mattress and plopped down next to him. And now, as she leaned against him, she felt his body turn rigid like a board. In a funny way, it was cute. If there was anybody she could trust, it was Deku.

She extended the bag of popcorn to him. He took a small handful and munched on it quietly, his eyes staring into the tv screen. His attention seemed to be more on avoiding her gaze than on watching the film.

So, Ochaco made a point to stare at him. To examine his features, from his freckles to his soft jawline. He didn't look like a traditional hero. Not like Zorro, with his chiseled chin and slicked hair- when his mask was off, of course.

But there was something else to Deku, something that made him look so wonderfully heroic and handsome at the same time.

Ochaco leaned into his shoulder, resting her head against him. She wished he would hold her close, but she wouldn't dare ask him to. No, that was too much, too fast. She was pretty sure he liked her. Actually, she was a hundred percent sure. But the last thing she wanted to do was scare him off.

And more importantly, she didn't want to scare _herself_ off.

But this? With her head on his shoulder, feeling his rising breaths beside her? She couldn't ask for more. She wished that the night would never end. This was the thought in her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

#

Ochaco woke to the sound of knocking on the door. She jerked from her sleep, and fell out of her bed, blanket tumbling around her.

 _Oh no! I fell asleep! Is Deku-_

Deku was gone. It was morning, light streaming in through the window. But… when had he left? And… How had she gotten into bed?

She was still in her clothes from the night before. Had Deku… tucked her in?

The knocking came again. "Uraraka!" sounded Ashido's voice. "Are you awake?"

"Y-yeah!" said Ochaco. "What's up?" She hustled over to her dresser and pulled out a change of clothes to get ready for the school-day.

"We're going for a run," said Ashido. "Do you want to come with us?"

"A run?" said Ochaco, her brain racing. "Don't we have class?"

"It's Sunday, and tomorrow's the provisional exam," said Ashido, her voice going up and down a little, in a way that said, "I'm humoring you because you're my friend."

Oh. That was right. Ochaco had been so caught up in Deku that she'd forgotten. How could she have forgotten? This was only the day before the most important moment in her hero career so far.

She chided herself, but took out her tracksuit and changed into it. It was _Deku_. Why shouldn't she have focused on him? He was… amazing. But him being amazing didn't make her amazing. Ochaco couldn't lose focus on what was important.

She opened the door to Ashido, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet, already dressed for the run.

"Took you long enough!" Ashido grinned. Then her black-and-orange eyes narrowed. "You look really, really tired, Uraraka. And your hair is really dirty. What were you up to yesterday? Nobody saw you come in."

Ochaco could hear the implied extra words in her head. _Nobody saw Deku come in, either._

She went red, and tried to cover it by rubbing her eyes. "I had a strange evening. But it's nothing crazy." Quick. What was a good lie? "I was playing baseball in town."

"Oh?" said Ashido, grinning. "I love baseball! You should've invited me!"

Ochaco scratched her head. "Sorry. I'll remember next time. But I'm able to run now. I can shower afterward."

"Sounds good!" Ashido exclaimed, bouncing down the hall. They took the elevator down, where the others waited. Everyone was there, including Deku.

The green-haired, green-eyed boy crouched in a corner, stretching alongside Iida. He was completely clean, his hair fresh and flowing around his eyes. His muscles rippled beneath his t-shirt and shorts, his legs sinuous and strong. He had a few scratches and cuts, but that only added to his aura.

Ochaco was about to go over to him and Iida, but froze. Should she? Normally, she'd walk right up to Deku. But his eyes- he was intent and focused on prep for the run. This was training time for him. She couldn't interrupt that.

 _And I need to focus on my training too._

She went off with Ashido and Tsu, talking quietly with them. But every few moments, she couldn't help but glance over Deku's way. And every time she did, he was as focused as ever.

When the run began, the pack quickly thinned and spread out: those who could run with superhuman speed took the front, and those who couldn't found themselves at varying degrees in the back. Deku, Bakugo, and Iida, of course practically raced one another, zipping ahead, followed by Tsu, Todoroki, and Kirishima.

Ashido, though, remained behind, falling back to keep up with Ochaco.

"So," she said, almost under her breath. "Baseball?"

Ochaco tried to sound more out-of-breath than she actually was. "Yeah."

"Are you sure you weren't out with… a certain someone?"

Ochaco felt her cheeks redden. Off to the side, she noticed Mineta. His ears perked at the question. He was definitely listening.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ochaco, trying to hide her jitters in the exertion of running.

"Come on," said Ashido. "You can tell me."

Ochaco shook her head. "There's nothing."

"Alright, alright," said Ashido. "But you haven't gotten me off your case yet." And with that, she took off, quickly catching up toward the front of the pack.

#

That night, Ochaco took a seat in the girls' wing common area. She'd prepped for tomorrow as best she could, with her _Uravity_ outfit ready to go and snacks packed in her backpack for the trip. Now all she could do is wait and try to relax.

The thought had crossed her mind to pay Deku a visit, but she figured he would be preparing just the same, and she didn't want to interrupt him. More than that, she wanted to try to keep her focus on tomorrow. Everything hinged on this exam.

Ashido, Tsu, and the other girls had settled for the evening as well, taking seats on the sofa beside and across from Ochaco. They all seemed as anxious as her, no doubt waiting for the craziness that would commence tomorrow.

"Hey, I have an idea to take off the nerves!" announced Ashido.

"Oh?" said Yaoyorozu. "What's that?"

A sly, sadistic smirk settled across Ashido's face. "Let's play Truth or Dare."

Ochaco swallowed. "I think I should turn in for the night."

"Why are you leaving?" said Hagakure, bouncing in her night pajamas. "This will be so fun! Oh, oh! I can go first! Ask me Truth or Dare!"

"I really think I should-" said Ochaco.

"Pleeeaaaase!" begged Ashido, clapping her hands together. "Please please please please please!"

Ochaco pursed her lips. Against her better judgment, she agreed with a nod and sank deeper into the couch cushion. Something told her this was going to go very, very badly.

"Okay!" announced Ashido, delighted. "Okay, Hagakure. You go first. Truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Ashido announced, ruffling the carpet beneath her invisible feet.

"Hm… what's a good one?" said Ashido, putting her finger against her jaw.

"Who's the first boy you ever kissed?" said Tsu.

"Oh, that's great!" said Ashido. "Yes. First kiss."

"Hm… Nobody!" Hagakure announced.

Yes. That made perfect sense. They were only in high school far too early to be… Oh… Yeah…

"Okay! Who's next?" asked Ashido.

"This sounds like fun," said Yaoyorozu. "I do believe I'll give it a shot."

"Great! Truth or dare?"

"Hm…" said Yaoyorozu, thoughtful. She considered for a second, putting her cheek in her hand. "I do believe I'll go with dare."

"Then I dare you to go into the elevator and scream, 'I love chocolate more than life!'" said Ashido.

"How scandalous!" said Yaoyorozu, cupping her hand to her mouth. But between her fingers, there crept a small smile. "Fine, then. I'll do it."

Ochaco watched with bated breath as Yaoyorozu crept over the elevator in her slippers, pressed the button and waited it to come. Her body shook with nerves, but regardless, she stepped inside and screamed, "I absolutely love chocolate! A lot! More than I could ever say! More than being alive! More than-"

The elevator door closed.

"Oh no!" Ochaco exclaimed jumping to her feet.

A few moments later, Yaoyorozu reappeared, stepping out through the doorway, face as red as an apple.

"There were boys downstairs," she said sheepishly, setting down on her seat and curling up her legs. "They heard every word."

Ochaco wasn't sure whether to laugh, or to sympathize. Both? She couldn't be sure. She sank into her chair and smiled to herself. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"And what about you, Ochaco?" said Ashido with a devilish smile. "Truth or dare?"

Scratch that. Terrible idea. Utterly terrible idea.

"Neither," said Ochaco, shaking her head. "I don't want to do either."

"Why are you refusing?" said Ashido. "Are you afraid of what we'll ask you to say?"

"No!" Ochaco half-barked. "I just don't feel like doing it."

"It feels like you're hiding something," said Hagakure exuberantly. "I love secrets. What is it?!"

Ochaco sighed and sank into her seat. There was no way out of this, it seemed. "Fine, I give in. I choose dare."

This way, at least, they couldn't make her confess anything.

"I dare you to go kiss Midoriya!" Ashido exclaimed.

Heat rose up in Ochaco's cheeks like a fever. "Wh-what?!"

The devilish grin returned to Ashido's face. "You heard me. Go kiss him."

"What? No!" Ochaco said. "No!"

"That does seem to be a little much," said Yaoyorozu. Tsu nodded in agreement, to Ochaco's relief. At least the others were on her side.

"But you want to, don't you?" said Ashido. "I see the way you look at him. It's obvious."

"What? No it isn't! I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Ochaco protested.

Literally everyone raised an eyebrow at her. Even Hagakure, who was _invisible_ , seemed to give Ochaco an incredulous look.

Ochaco swallowed, a potential reality dawning on her. "Why are you guys staring at me like that?"

"Girl," said Ashido. "Do you think we're blind?"

"It's obvious," said Hagakure.

"Yep, ribbit," said Tsu. "Obvious."

"Quite," said Yaoyorozu before taking a sip from a teacup.

Ochaco felt her face heat up. Hotter than when she'd fought Bakugo. By a long shot. This was horrible. This was… mortifying!

"I need to go," she said, standing.

"No, don't go!" said Ashido, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. "It's okay! We're not going to make fun of you! It's… cute! It really is!"

Ochaco forced herself to stay, just barely. But she wanted to be anywhere else.

"It's okay that you like Midoriya, really," said Yaoyorozu. "Quite frankly, he's an admirable individual. Someone worthy of high praise."

 _Yes, I like him,_ Ochaco said in her head. _But it's more than that. So much… more than that._

But she couldn't say that out loud. They'd figured out her crush on him, but they hadn't seemed to figure out she and Deku had been… what _had_ they been doing? Dating? No. They hadn't defined that. They hadn't defined anything.

And now Ochaco was all worked up again, right before the exam. She didn't need this.

She felt a pressure on her eyes, tears beginning to well. She rubbed her eyes. She would not cry. She would _not_ cry.

"I should go to bed," she said.

"Really, it's okay!" said Ashido.

"No, it's not," said Ochaco, and she left. She went into her room and closed the door behind her. Once inside, she sank behind the doorframe. Through the thin wall, she heard the others talking.

"Do you think we pushed her too far?" said Ashido.

"Probably," said Hagakure. "We should apologize."

"We should give her space," said Tsu. "We can apologize later."

Ochaco bit back tears, forcing herself to retain her composure. She stood and marched to her balcony door. She could just slip out and fly over to Deku's room. He would be able to help her feel alright.

She put her finger against the door handle and stopped. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Not after all this. She couldn't distract Deku from his preparation. More than that, Ochaco couldn't distract herself anymore than she already had. She needed more focus, not less.

Slowly and tentatively, she forced herself to sit on the bed, and she began to go over battle strategies. But the longer she went, the harder it was to not cry. Until she finally broke, and she fell asleep soaked in her tears.

#

The morning alarm hit Ochaco like an icepick. Cold and merciless. She rolled out of bed and gingerly readied herself, her hair stuck to her face from crying the night before. She felt a little foolish for how hard she'd cried, but more than that, she felt frustrated: even now, her thoughts were on Deku.

It wasn't long before she was prepared. Ochaco boarded the bus with the others and Aizawa, and took off for their licensing exam. When it came time to sit, she chose to take the seat next to Iida. And when Deku boarded the bus, she avoided eye contact with him. Same with Ashido and the other girls.

"Uraraka?" said Iida in his usual, straightforward voice. "Are you well? You look tired and sick."

"I'm just-" Ochaco began, but she bit back her response and forced herself to smile. "It's just nerves, I guess. I can't believe we're doing this!"

Iida grinned that straightforward grin of his- but it wasn't anything like Deku's smile. "I believe we are strong enough to succeed, Uraraka! Let's give it our best!"

"Yes," said Ochaco, forcing herself to focus on his camaraderie. "Let's!"

#

"Uraraka!" Ochaco shouted, joining a throng of excited voices. She couldn't believe it. Her name was right there, on the winners board. She had her provisional license. All that work, and all that effort, and blood, and sweat. She was one step closer to achieving her dream.

And just like that, the provisional certification exam was over. It had passed, and so had she.

Ochaco glanced over at Deku. He looked like he was about to cry. Which was par for the course for him. But an unfamiliar pain welled in her chest. Something felt… off.

Yes, off.

She'd had to close her heart during the exam. Take her eyes off him. Turn away from him. In order to succeed, Ochaco'd had to cut off her feelings for Deku.

And it had worked. But now…

The very thought of it left a bittersweet tinge in all this excitement. That, and Camie. The strange naked girl. Was… was Ochaco jealous? No. Deku would never cheat on her like that. He was too good, too pure.

Which made Ochaco all the more uneasy. What did this mean for her? What did this mean for him? She'd been forced to sever herself from Deku to succeed. And… And… She didn't want to think about what that could mean next.

These thoughts dominated Ochaco's mind, even as they boarded the bus and went back to U.A. It was impossible to ignore, even with the victory of the provisional certification emblazoned on her heart. She couldn't let go of whatever needed to happen next.

What _did_ need to happen next? She couldn't lose focus on her goals. And she knew the only reason she'd passed the exam was because she'd finally detached from Deku. If she'd clung to his hip like she'd wanted, she would have failed for certain.

So where did that leave them? What did Deku expect now?

These worries and concerns followed Uraraka into the night. She couldn't shake them. She couldn't ignore them, even as she lay in bed. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, the terror of the unknown holding a firm grip on her conscience.

Finally, she threw off the covers, pulled on her tank top and track pants, and made her way to the balcony. She needed to settle this, one way or another.

Ochaco settled herself down onto the grass, walked around to the building's other side, and counted the balconies. Finding the right one, she jumped up to Deku's room, and knocked on the glass door.

She heard Deku fall out of his bed as he scrambled to the door. He pulled aside the curtains and opened the door, peeking out wide-eyed at Ochaco.

"What's up, Ochaco?" he whispered. He wasn't wearing a shirt. His muscles glistened in the moonlight, as strong yet gentle as ever.

 _Not what I need to be thinking about,_ Uraraka swallowed. Then, she gazed off to the side, unable to look Deku in the eyes. "Can we talk?"

Deku nodded. "One sec."

And a moment later, he'd pulled on a t-shirt and was ready to go. Together, they descended to the grass. His strong arms made Ochaco feel sick- like she didn't deserve their embrace. And when they landed, she intentionally stepped away.

"Ochaco?" said Deku, raising an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

"I, uh, well," mumbled Ochaco. "Let's walk a bit."

"Oh, um, sure."

They left the dorm grounds and found themselves walking amid the trees of the school grounds, stepping in and out of moonlight and shadow. As they went, Ochaco tried to put together the words she needed to say, to organize the thoughts and emotions rampaging through her heart.

And with every step, she realized just how hard this was going to be. Even if she didn't exactly know what _this_ was.

Finally, they came to a stop beneath the shade of a Japanese oak, with faint streams of moonlight cresting on Deku's gorgeous locks of hair.

It was time. Ochaco couldn't put it off any longer.

"I think I made a mistake," she said, watching Deku closely. His face was stoic and concerned. "And I'm not entirely sure how to fix it."

"What's the problem?" said Deku, his stoic face turning to one of concentration. "Is there any way I can help?"

"I…" said Ochaco, sticking out her chin and biting back tears. She could not cry. She needed to be strong, dammit. "It's just that, well, Deku, you are so amazing. And I… I think it's obvious just how amazing you are. Too amazing. And I…" Ochaco clenched her jaw. The words came like shattered glass. "And I can't distract you from being a hero. And I can't be distracted from being a hero. And it's.. And it's not fair, dammit!

"I really, really like you! You are all I think about, day and night. I just want to hold you, and feel your skin against mine, and to feel your breath on mine. I want to be around you, and to support you and lift you. But… but…" She couldn't hold it back. The tears came, like a waterfall. "I can't let how I feel about you get in the way of my work or your work. We both need to become heroes, and I, and I …"

She began to sob, her body trembling. She couldn't even see Deku through the tears. "I'm sorry," she cried, "I'm so sorry."

Then Deku hugged her.

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close. Ochaco let herself fall into his embrace, burying his face in his neck. His warmth was intoxicating, his strength so reassuring. She gripped his shirt with her hands, squeezing with her arms, emptying her tears into his t-shirt collar.

Finally, Deku spoke.

"It's okay," he said, his voice soft. "Whatever you choose to do or be, it's okay."

And that only made Ochaco cry even more.

"I like you so, so much," she said.

"I know," said Deku. "I know."

"What should I do?"

Deku paused for a long moment, running his fingers up and down Ochaco's back. "I don't know. I've never done this before."

Ochaco laughed hoarsely. "I guess I haven't either." She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. She was so caught up in that wondrous green. She couldn't say goodbye to that. "I… I can't let this get in the way of our work, Deku."

Deku nodded, thoughtful. "I admit, I'd been thinking about this another way."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," said Deku, going red. "I don't think I could actually become a hero without you."

Ochaco's heart skipped a beat. _Wait, does he mean that?_

He waved his hands back and forth very quickly. "A-a-and, I don't mean that to make you think you have to like, well, you know, date me. No. Either as a friend, or as something more, or as whatever if it is you want to be, I _know_ you make me a better hero."

He put a finger to his chin. "But I guess that's entirely selfish of me. I've been thinking so much about how you make _me_ a better hero, that I haven't thought about you at all. I'm sorry, Ochaco. I should have thought of you first. Whatever it is you want or need us to be, I'm ready for us to be it. Even if that's friends, or… or..." the last words came out as barely a mumble, "or less than that."

Ochaco stared blankly at him, the gears turning in her head. And then, she began to laugh.

"Ochaco?" said Deku, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

Ochaco continued to laugh and laugh, until finally, she came to a natural stop, doubling over. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just… it's funny to hear you call yourself selfish." She stood up straight and looked Deku in the eye. "You are easily the most _selfless_ person I have ever met."

"Oh," said Deku, scratching his head and looking off to the side. "Thank you." A long silence hung between them, before Deku finally broke it, in his own adorable, humble way. "So, Ochaco, are you going to be okay?"

Ochaco bit her lip and rocked on her heels. "I… still don't know."

"That's okay," said Deku. "It's like I said. Whatever you want us to be-"

Ochaco put a finger to his lips. "I heard you the first time, silly."

"Oh, okay," he mumbled past her finger.

Then, after a long thought, Ochaco said, "I think I was looking at this problem wrong."

"Oh? How so?"

"Sometimes, I forget just how _amazing_ you are, Deku."

"But you just said earlier-"

"I know what I said. You are amazing. Too amazing. So amazing that I can barely understand it. The problem isn't that I distract you from being a hero, or even that you distract me from being a hero. Without you, I never would have made it this far. I just… need to be able to talk with you, to make boundaries and schedules, so that we do the things we _need_ to do, before we do the things we want to."

Deku nodded, but didn't say anything, letting Ochaco think on what she was going to say next.

When she was ready, Ochaco said, "I think I know what I want us to be. But I know it will be hard."

Deku swallowed, but nodded solemnly. "Whatever it is you need, Ochaco. I will accept whatever you say."

Ochaco couldn't help but chuckle a little. "You are so silly, Deku." She looked up into his gorgeous green eyes, those intent, kind hearted eyes. Yes. This would work. "I want us to begin dating. Officially. For real. No secrets, no sneaking around the others. You. And me. Boyfriend. And Girlfriend. Deal?"

Deku's jaw dropped, and Ochaco grinned.

 **[Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry I have a release schedule that makes GRRM look prolific. The day job(s) take priority. But I do love Deku and Uraraka as a couple, so I was happy to come back to them. I know a few readers were disappointed that I took the time to write those three Recovery Girl chapters, and I understand the criticism. In the future, I may separate it into its own fic altogether. We'll see what happens.**

 **If you enjoyed this chapter, please please please favorite, follow, and leave a review. You guys don't know how much the reviews mean to me. I read every one. And I have every intention of continuing this fic. So drop in what you think. Thank you!]**


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